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Paternity cases typically involve the issues of child support and visitation once paternity has been established.Child custody may also be litigated in a paternity case. Although paternity cases may be brought by a father, the mother or the Florida Department of Revenue (on behalf of the mother) usually bring paternity cases.
Paternity Actions
Paternity is a legal action to establish the biological father of a child. |
| Paternity actions can also determine which parent should be the child’s custodial parent (the parent the child resides with the majority of the time); the visitation schedule for the non-custodial parent; child support, and other child care related issues. Most fathers primarily file paternity actions to establish a legal parent-child relationship and/or to obtain visitation rights with the child. Most mothers primarily seek paternity actions to establish and obtain child support from the child’s father. Procedurally, a paternity action is similar to a divorce proceeding. It is commonly referred to the “divorce for unmarried couples”. A paternity action differs from a divorce action, in that property is usually not an issue in paternity actions.
Supplemental Petitions In Florida, once you have received a Final Judgment (either paternity or divorce), if you want to change the terms of the Final Judgment, a supplemental petition must be filed.Once again, this action is similar to a divorce proceeding. A party must be served, a response must be filed, and mediation must occur. Supplemental Petitions should only be filed if there is a significant change in circumstances. There are several situations that may qualify as a “significant change in circumstances”. Please call our office to schedule an appointment and review your circumstances to determine if a Supplemental Petition is the correct action for you to file. |
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