Establishing Paternity

Custody information and Divorce help provided by an experienced family law and divorce attorney serving the Temecula, Murrieta, and Hemet areas of Riverside County, California.

Good afternoon,
I am a single mother of a 6 week old baby. I am looking to find out how to go about establishing custody /visitation or establishing child support for my daughter (the father is my ex-boyfriend who lives in Pennsylvania/works in New York). I think this is a "Family Law" issue(?). Paternity has not yet been established, and the relationship between my ex and I is not good.If my issue is something you can help me with. Thank you for your time and consideration.
A.M.


Hi, A.M.
In order to get custody and visitation and in order to establish child support, you need to file a paternity suit. Any competent divorce lawyer can help you do so. You may or may not be able to file your lawsuit in California, depending upon how long your ex has been living in another state, and where your child was conceived. The process to file for paternity in California, is as follows: file a petition; serve the father; wait 30 days to see if he responds. If the father does not respond, you can then get a paternity judgment against him. That judgment will include provisions for custody and visitation and child support.

If the father does respond, he has a right to a paternity test. If he asks for a dna test, genetic testing will be conducted to determine whether he is the biological father. If yes, the court in the paternity case will enter a paternity judgment and include provisions for custody, visitation and support. If no, the case will be dismissed.

If the father does not ask for genetic testing. The court will find that he is the biological father without any testing, and a judgment for paternity will be issued. The court will, once again, issue orders which include arrangements for custody, visitation and support.


If you live in the Temecula, Murrieta, Hemet or Riverside areas of Riverside County, California and have any questions about obtaining child custody and visitation or if you need divorce information, please feel free to contact our office to set up an appointment with a divorce lawyer at: (951) 816-9543.

For more information, you may also visit our websites: Divorce Attorney in Temecula; Family Law Attorney in Temecula; or Divorce in Riverside County