My sister was adopted by our parents from foster care at a young age. When she turned 18, she reconnected with bio-parents and moved in with the bio-mom for 1 month. Quickly, she realized fantasy wasn't reality. The bio-mom claimed her on their 2018 taxes, claimed my sister's return was $600, and refused to give it to her. My sister has continued to struggle with rebellion, returning to live with our adopted parents, and starting her own life. She's almost 21 now and with talk of the stimulus check, wanted to be sure her bio-mom wasn't going to get more of her money she didn't deserve. I don't know how to advise her. Is it worth it for her to try to file her previous year (2018) taxes and perhaps cause an audit? Will her bio-mom get stimulus money that should be hers? Does she have any recourse?
