Paternity leave is a fairly controversial topic that often finds itself put in the mainstream spotlight through athletics. Athletes will often miss games throughout the course of a season, due to the birth of a child, and while the players and the teams are often understanding and accommodating, not everyone surrounding the team shares in that gracious attitude. Recently, Boston Celtics center Al Horford missed...
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Many unwed fathers may have no idea that their parental rights are at the whim of the mother unless paternity is formally established through the courts, which can cause serious problems in the event of a breakup. You and your partner have been living together for 20 years, but are not married. You had two children together, a daughter and a son, who are now...
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Paying child support can be a frustrating experience, especially when the child is not biologically yours. A CBS article reported a Dallas man was jailed because it was alleged he owed more than $50,000 in unpaid child support to a child that turned out was not his. The passing of a new Texas paternity law that gives men who doubt paternity a chance to file...
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By Daniel Lambert Cordell & Cordell Family Law Attorney Each state will have its own laws and regulations governing paternity and child support. Where I practice, child support is set in paternity actions pursuant to each party’s income and the placement/visitation schedule awarded to each party. Child support only becomes effective through an order of the court. If there is no court order for child...
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Paternity Laws Question: My wife and I are getting divorced. She is pregnant with another man’s baby and will probably have the baby before our divorce is final. What do I need to do to protect myself against having to pay child support for the child that is not biologically mine, but will likely be born while I am married to the child’s mother? Do...
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Marriage does not define a father’s rights. Unwed fathers have rights, too; they just need to exercise those rights. Recent news about Utah fathers rights indicated the state has made the process easier for fathers to exercise their rights. This has brought to light the fact that unwed fathers in other states still experience difficulty in protecting their rights. Other steps are required in addition...
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Marriage rates have reached an all-time low meaning more children are being born out of wedlock. This issue of paternity is one of the more complex areas of family law. Many men are curious about what an unwed father’s legal responsibilities are to a child born outside of a marriage. Will he automatically have to pay child support? Is he the legal father of the...
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Child Support Question: How do child support laws handle issues of potential paternity fraud? My former girlfriend and I had a child out of wedlock who I pay child support for, though I rarely see him. I’ve learned my ex lied to me about being the father and just wanted someone to help support the child. Can I take a paternity test to officially determine...
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A package of laws designed to give biological fathers rights when their child is born to a married woman is awaiting a vote in the Michigan legislature. Currently, Michigan law does not give parental rights to biological fathers if the mother of the child is married at the time of the child’s birth to another man. Daniel Quinn wanted visitation rights and to pay child...
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A stepfather is just as much a father as the biological dad when it comes to paternity suits, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The court ruled that the child’s stepfather as well as the child’s biological father should both be parties when the legal presumption of fatherhood is decided on matters establishing paternity and child support.