Child Support

questions & answers

Question: what to do if u are a father of a 9 yrs girl that u didnt know u had the mother said it was someone esle

Answer:

Because the nature of this question is somewhat open-ended, and because Family Law can be complicated, the following is offered as general information. Title 25, Chapter 6 of the Arizona Revised Statutes contains the laws regarding paternity. Please refer to the statutes within this chapter for further clarification in addition to the following information. For additional help, please refer to AZLawHelp.org’s article on Custody and Visitation. The Superior Court of Arizona has jurisdiction over all proceedings to establish paternity, ARS 25-801.

Proceedings must originate in the Superior Court of the county where the respondent or the petitioner or the child resides ARS 25-802. This link has a list and information for all Superior Courts in Arizona. Statutes ARS 25-807 through ARS 25-817 address the different ways paternity can be established. ARS 25-814  contains information regarding how paternity is established through a “presumption of paternity,” and may be especially relevant. Once paternity is established, it may be possible to gain visitation and custody rights of the child. The previously mentioned article on Custody and Visitation provides general information for those proceedings. 

For detailed legal advice, contact an attorney. For possible legal aid options click here.