Established Paternity & Financial Support

In Florida, if you stop financially supporting a child because you have found out you are not the biological father,  you could be in for a long court battle— especially if you agreed to putting your name on the child’s birth certificate.

In Florida, both parents have a duty to provide financial support for their children, and that can mean children who are not biologically yours but children you have agreed to “father.”  If you are in a situation where you have been told you are not the biological father of a child you have been supporting, it’s important to consult with a Tampa paternity lawyer about disestablishment of paternity before taking matters into your own hands. If you’ve been contributing to the financial support of a child, please call the office of Nilo J. Sanchez & Associates to set up a consultation about filing a petition with the courts to disestablish paternity and to terminate child support

Florida Law and Disestablishment of Paternity

With many unmarried couples having children this is not uncommon, and has even occurred with married couples who have had extramarital affairs resulting in the birth of a child. If you have any reason to doubt that you are the biological father of a child and are unmarried, you may wish to consult with paternity lawyer in Tampa Bay. Doing so prior to agreeing to putting your name on the child’s birth certificate or voluntarily signing an acknowledgment of paternity as provided in FL statutes s. 742.10(4) can be highly beneficial. If you do either of these things, you could end up supporting a child that is not your biological child until they are 18 years old. The Florida Statutes on disestablishing paternity are very stringent and any previous support or acknowledgement prior to any new knowledge of paternity can make it difficult especially with regards to paying child support.

Consult with a Tampa Bay Paternity Lawyer 

Hiring a paternity lawyer if you have any doubts before you take on the responsibility of a child that you aren’t 100% sure is yours biologically, or adopting or taking on the role of “father” for a child that you know has another biological father, may seem like the right thing to do, but it’s a good idea to consult with a paternity lawyer in Tampa Bay first to explore your options.

Alternatively, if you need to establish paternity in Tampa Bay or Florida, both the mother and the father can do so in Florida.

Read More: Establishing paternity or for immediate assistance, call our office or reach out to us below to schedule an affordable consultation.

Telephone: (813) 879-4600