Paternity

Paternity

Paternity

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.