When non-custodial parents in Pennsylvania make support payments, they have reasonable expectations in most cases that the child whom they are supporting is theirs and that they will have some type of established visitation schedule. Imagine a significant amount of child support taken out of a person’s pay check for someone else’s child. A man in another state is living a nightmare and wants to make others aware of what could happen under similar circumstances.
According to the birth certificate of a 15-year-old girl, the man is her father. He was married to her mother but the two got a divorce when the girl was just over two years of age. He continued to raise her, but, after he and the mother had an argument four years ago, he took action and underwent a paternity test. The result showed the girl was not biologically his. Since that time, the girl’s mother has not allowed him to contact the girl at all, while the man who is her biological father sees her periodically.
The mother disclosed the identity of the biological father but neither will take the responsibility of financially supporting their daughter. The man the girl has always known as her father has been paying child support in the amount of $730 each month, as she is legally his. He feels he should not have to continue to pay when he cannot see her. He did try to present the DNA evidence to a judge, even though he did not have an attorney, but the legal avenue he chose was improper, and he was not allowed a resubmission once he learned of the appropriate channels. Legally he is having to support her until she turns 19 years old.
Each state has its own laws pertaining to child support, custody and other matters. The laws in one state may not be the same as in another. Parents in Pennsylvania who are having problems with an established agreement or who need to initiate an arrangement for the future will want solid representation as they face a court of law.
Source: nydailynews.com, “Colorado man forced to pay child support for someone else’s kid“, Megan Cerullo, July 29, 2016