Many Texas couples who are expecting a child have much to look forward to. Even if those expecting children are not married, they usually still experience the same joy and excitement married couples feel when they welcome a newborn into the world. What should be a time of excitement and expectations can also raise questions when the mother of the child has not been entirely honest or faithful regarding the paternity of the child. Paternity fraud, whether intentional or not, can be damaging to the child and the father figure involved, and it can create issues with regards to child custody and child support.
Statistically, 1 in 10 children are not biologically related to the man that they think is their father. Mothers may be promiscuous or find themselves in an extramarital affair, and the timing of conception can come to question. When multiple partners are present, the chance remains that the true paternity of the child is not definitive, and a paternity test should be performed.
Signing a birth certificate legally binds a man to that child’s financial support. Should a couple decide to end the domestic relationship, child custody and child support often become an issue. Even if the child is not biologically his, a man whose name appears on the birth certificate is obliged to pay child support. Once the child support payments begin, learning that he is not the father does not always mean that he can stop submitting child support payments.
Finding oneself in a situation of questioning the paternity of a beloved child can cause grief, mental trauma and emotional harm, not only for the father but also for the child. Should a Texas resident suspect that he is not the father of a child and he is currently paying child support, seeking the advice of an attorney to understand the options available is crucial. A court-ordered paternity test and subsequent hearings may follow, and having the right legal counsel is imperative.
Source: t2conline.com, “Discover the Truth: The Best Strategy to Avoiding Paternity Fraud“, May 14, 2018