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| 11271 Ventura Blvd. |
| Suite 473 |
| Studio City, CA 91604 |
| Phone: 877-479-7970 |
| Fax: 888-509-8864 |
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| Warner Center Towers |
| Phone: 877-479-7970 |
| Fax: 888-509-8864 |
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| Watt Plaza |
| Phone: 877-479-7970 |
| Fax: 888-509-8864 |
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| Fashion Island |
| Phone: 877-479-7970 |
| Fax: 888-509-8864 |
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Paternity Rights for the Father
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For children born within the confines of a marriage, paternity is presumed. However, for children born out of wedlock, paternity must be established in a court of law. Paternity may be established through the use of genetic or DNA testing. Establishing paternity creates parental rights and a legal relationship between the parent and child. Establishing paternity confers simile legal rights, including the potential for custody, as if the child were born within the confines of a marriage.
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We represent clients seeking to establish paternity for custody and support purposes. We also assist clients in disproving paternity through genetic or DNA testing in order to avoid wrongfully imposed child support.
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Whose child is it anyway?!?!
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With advances in technology, questions regarding child paternity can be easily resolved. In fact, the ease with which paternity may be determined has given the court the ability to make determinations regarding biological relationships and financial support obligations. However, with the ability to make these determinations, other issues (i.e. timing, fraud, the best interests of the child, etc.) have come to the forefront of the legal community.
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Paternity is usually questioned most when issues of child support are raised. However, paternity testing is also appropriate in cases where there is another potential biological father for the child. However, proving or disproving paternity, in many cases, is not as simple as just taking a test. In cases where paternity may be proven, test results may shatter a long standing relationship between a child and an individual thought to be the child’s father. In the absence of a biological father, removing that figure from the child’s life may not be in the child’s best emotional or financial interests.
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Contact us at 877-479-7970, or e-mail us at info@law-thomas.com, to arrange for a confidential complimentary consultation on your paternity family law needs.
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Q: Is a father who never married the mother still required to pay child support?
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A: Yes when paternity has been established. When a child is born to unmarried parents, the parents may establish paternity though admission of the father, agreement of the parents, or use of a DNA test. Paternity established through any of these methods is known as an "acknowledged father". Acknowledged fathers are required to pay child support. Additionally, an unmarried man may be presumed to be a child’s father if he welcomes the child into his home, openly holding the child out as his own.
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Q: How long does child support last?
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A: Parents paying child support must generally support a child until: the child reaches the age of majority (and sometimes longer if the child has special needs or is in college); the child is on active military duty; or the parents' rights and responsibilities are terminated.
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