The attorneys at GillespieShields practice family, employment, civil, criminal, and immigration law.
It seems like a scene out of a soap opera: a father discovering he’s been paying years of child support for a child, or multiple children, that aren’t even his. Although it seems ridiculous and unlikely, it happens more frequently than you might realize. The news is devastating for multiple reasons, and a man may not immediately want a paternity lawyer to settle the question.
First, you may feel you have essentially been robbed of hard-earned income for many years that you may not be able to fully recover. Secondly, the emotional turmoil that accompanies such a reality is inconceivable. Picking up the pieces after this kind of revelation can be as overwhelming as the initial news itself. Getting a child support attorney may be the last thing on your mind.
Should You Hire a Paternity Lawyer?
Calling a paternity lawyer may not make sense for many fathers, even when they find out the truth about paternity. However, if you discover that you have been paying child support for children who are not yours biologically, you may have reasons to seek recompense. A good child support attorney can tell you more. Suffice it to say, however, that you may be entitled to:
- Sue for fraud
- Sue for repayment of child support payments
- Sue for other personal injury claim
How Can This Happen?
How could a mother not know who the father of her child is? How could a father raise children who are not his biological children unknowingly? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are just as complex as the questions themselves. Firstly, there is no paternity test required in order to list a person’s name on a birth certificate. If a mother claims a man is the father of her child and lists it on the birth certificate, that man will be the legal father of the child until someone contests the information with a DNA test. The reasons a mother may list false information on a birth certificate are complex as well. For example:
- An unwed teenage mother may be attempting to protect the father of the child or protect the child from an unsafe father.
- A mother may want to conceal the fact that she has been unfaithful to her spouse.
- A mother may fear the father of her child is unable or unwilling to pay child support, while her current boyfriend, fiancé or spouse is willing and able to provide for the child.
Find An Arizona Paternity Attorney
If you have been defrauded and coerced into paying child support for children who are not your biological offspring, you deserve a knowledgeable paternity lawyer. Contact the experienced attorneys at GillespieShields. We understand the sensitivity of your situation and can assist you in protecting your family and assets professionally.
Call us at 602-870-9700 (Phoenix) or 480-985-4000 (Mesa) or contact us to request a consultation today.