Skilled Assistance With Paternity Issues In Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, a father cannot sue for custody of a child as a biological parent without first establishing paternity. If this issue does not receive immediate attention, it can serve to delay a father’s access to his child. Failure to establish paternity can also delay a parent’s ability to seek child support on behalf of a child.
If you are seeking financial support for your child or you wish to establish custody or visitation rights, Purdy Law Office, LLC, in the Lemoyne area, can help you.
We Understand The Importance Of Having Two Parents
Our experienced family law attorneys understand the time-sensitive nature of paternity issues. We appreciate the value of every parent-child relationship, and we have witnessed firsthand the impact that an additional source of support and stability can have on a child.
How Paternity Is Established In Pennsylvania
In addition to voluntary participation in genetic testing and having your name on a child’s birth certificate, there are multiple ways of establishing paternity.
- If a couple is married when a child is born, courts consider a woman’s husband to be the father until proven otherwise.
- If a woman is unmarried when a child is born and initiates a child support action, the person from whom she seeks child support may invoke their right to genetic testing before entering an order for support.
If a father wishes to contest paternity that is already deemed established, it is necessary to petition the court for genetic testing. Our attorneys deal with a large number of these cases in Cumberland and Dauphin counties, in part because Pamela Purdy is Paternity Counsel for the Dauphin County Domestic Relations Office.
When you petition the court for genetic testing, the other parent or custodian has the ability to argue that you should be deemed a child’s father, regardless of biological parentage, under a legal theory known as “Paternity by Estoppel.”
Under this theory, the Court has the ability to prevent a party from denying paternity of a child where he has acted as the child’s father with the knowledge that he or she may not be his biological child. In order to deny a father’s request for genetic testing, the court must find that it is in the best interest of the child to make such a ruling.
Seek Legal Help With Your Paternity Issues
Our skilled family law and divorce attorneys have hands-on experience litigating this issue throughout Central Pennsylvania. Contact Purdy Law Office, LLC, and let us walk you through the important steps of either establishing or challenging paternity.
Call us in the Lemoyne area today at 717-221-8303, or send us an email.