AGREEMENT TO TERMS OF USE
All visitors to this site must agree to these Terms of Use. You agree that by accessing this site you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all of these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with and consent to all of these Terms of Use then you are expressly prohibited from using this site and you must discontinue use immediately. (EXIT NOW)
This website (theriessfamily.com) and our Facebook page are intended for visitors 18 years of age or older. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Terms of Use for any reason at any time and without notice. It is the responsibility of the visitor to review these Terms of Use for updates and/or changes each time this website is accessed. We reserve the right to change, modify, delete, or otherwise alter any content on this website at any time, for any reason, at our sole discretion, and without notice. This website and our Facebook page were created to share our adoption story, our personal experiences with adoption, and to educate readers about adoption-related issues. These platforms explore our family’s unique story to educate readers about adoption ethics, laws, and related issues, while also providing other valuable information to adoptees and biological families. We also share our experiences with late discovery with adoptive parents considering making a late adoption disclosure. The information contained on this site, and across all of our social media accounts, represents our opinions and personal experiences, and should not be considered guidance, personal advice, legal advice, or counseling. If you require adoption-related assistance or advice, please consult with a licensed and qualified mental health professional, social worker, lawyer, or other qualified and licensed professional. Our personal experiences do not represent all adoptions, all adoptees, all adoptive parents, all birth parents, all adoption agencies, all adoption professionals, all adoption attorneys, or all adoption reunions. This website utilizes a StatCounter website tracker, which collects the IP address and records the website activity of all visitors to this site. We use this tracker to monitor how many visitors we have and page referral source(s), along with visitor activity within the website. We also use this service to limit access to our site by spammers, scammers, hackers, advertisers, etc. If you do not consent to this use of website analytics, please do not visit this website.
Harassment, Threats, and Prohibited Conduct
Any communications sent through this website or any associated social media platforms that are inappropriate, harassing, intimidating, threatening, or otherwise unwanted may be preserved and publicly disclosed in full, including the complete contents of the communication and the sender’s identifying information. By accessing this website or attempting to contact us, you acknowledge and consent to this policy. If you do not consent, you must not access this website or contact us.
This website and our social media accounts maintain a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, intimidation, threats, or abusive conduct of any kind. You may not use this website or any of our associated social media accounts to engage in conduct that includes, but is not limited to:
- Threats of violence or harm, whether explicit or implied
- Harassing, intimidating, stalking, or coercive behavior
- Abusive, defamatory, or hateful communications
- Attempts to incite others to harass, intimidate, or harm any individual
- Any additional unwanted contact, website visits, or communications
- Any conduct intended to cause fear, distress, or emotional harm
Any communications that we determine, in our sole discretion, to be threatening, harassing, intimidating, or abusive may be preserved, documented, and used as evidence. We reserve the right to take any action we deem appropriate, including but not limited to:
- Immediate removal of content
- Public disclosure of the communication as previously described in these Terms
- Blocking or banning access to our website and social media platforms
- Reporting the conduct to appropriate third parties, including website hosts, service providers, or law enforcement, when warranted
Use of this website constitutes acknowledgment that any threatening, harassing, or intimidating conduct is strictly prohibited, will not be tolerated, and may result in legal action and/or referral to law enforcement.
This site contains links to third-party websites. These external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. We do not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of any information offered by third-party websites linked here or on our social media accounts. Indemnification: These Terms of Use and your use of the site are governed and construed in accordance with the law of the State of New Jersey in the United States of America. All information contained on this site is provided on an “as is” basis without any representation, warranty, or condition, whether express or implied, statutory or otherwise, as to quality; accuracy; completeness; legality; reliability; efficacy; or fitness for any particular purpose. Anyone using this information does so at his or her own risk. By visiting this site, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to the arising out of: (1) your contributions; (2) use of the site; or (3) breach of these Terms of Use. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding that is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it. All files and information contained in this website are copyrighted by theriessfamily.com / Michelle Riess / Christina George / The Riess Family, and may not be duplicated, copied, modified, used for the creation of AI-generated materials, or adapted in any way without our prior & explicit written permission. Credits & link-backs to this site without prior written permission to use our content are not sufficient permission. This website may contain our service marks or trademarks as well as those of our affiliates or other companies, in the form of words, graphics, and logos. Your use of this website does not constitute any right or license for you to use our service marks or trademarks, without prior written permission. Our content, as found within our website, is protected under United States and foreign copyrights. The copying, redistribution, use, adaptation, or publication by you of any such content, is strictly prohibited. Your use of our website does not grant you any ownership rights to our content. These Terms of Use may be updated at any time without prior notice. It is the responsibility of the visitor to review these Terms of Use for updates at each visit.
Updated 30 December 2025
All visitors to this site must agree to these Terms of Use. You agree that by accessing this site you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all of these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with and consent to all of these Terms of Use, then you are expressly prohibited from using this site and you must discontinue use immediately. (EXIT NOW)