Q. How is paternity established?
While establishing the identity of a child’s biological mother is virtually always easy, establishing paternity –or fatherhood – – is not always simple. “Who’s your daddy?” is an emotionally-charged question especially if asked in the context of a prospective divorce.
Paternity lawsuits may be brought when the identity of a child’s biological father is in question. Establishing a child’s paternity impacts parental rights, child custody and support matters whether the child’s biological parents are or ever were married.
Paternity lawsuits can be brought by the following:
- the mother
- the presumed father/mother’s husband
- another man alleged to be the father
- the court or government agency
- the child in question (or their representative if a minor).
Paternity is established through a genetic/DNA test. Testing can be done either
Two methods of
In addition to those invasive
Sometimes, paternity testing must happen after the baby is born. Post-natal paternity testing compares a blood or a buccal sample from the suspected father with either a cord blood sample of the infant prior to discharge from the hospital or if done after discharge, then by a blood or
Among other scenarios, paternity testing is often used by a mother to establish a legal relationship between her child and his/her biological father so she can obtain child support. It may also be used by a mother’s husband who suspects infidelity or by a man who had sexual relations with the mother and seeks to confirm his paternity so he can through a father’s rights attorney become involved in his child’s life.
If you need to file a paternity suit or need to be defended against a paternity action, Cohen Family Law can help you. Contact us at 602-714-8898 for a free consultation. From our office in Phoenix, we’ve been helping families throughout Arizona in all aspects of family law since 1982