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Filing a paternity action suit to establish parentage

On Behalf of | May 15, 2015 | Paternity

Establishing parentage is not only important to the parents, but to the child as well, especially since they need to be cared for by both mother and father. With a child needing both its parents to be present in the life, a paternity test may be required to help define who the father is so both parents can equally share responsibility for their child and build a healthy relationship with them.

When there is a doubt or concern about parentage, a paternity test can be performed to determine who is the father of the child. The test can be taken after the man or woman requests paternity action to determine parentage. Once paternity is established, the father can then assume responsibility for their child. They may be required to provide for the child financially, such as paying child support, and in other ways.

Filing a paternity action can also determine if there is paternity fraud being committed. Paternity fraud is when a man is taking responsibility for another man?s child when the mother knows that the child is not his. In this case, the mother may be receiving child support from the man who is not the biological father, which constitutes child support fraud. This type of fraud is not beneficial to the man because it can prevent him from caring for children who are actually his.

If you have questions about Texas paternity laws or would like to file a paternity action, a Texas divorce attorney can assist you.

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