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Child support law
Child support law / Jokes, Polls & Anything Else / 8:30 AM - Monday October 30, 2006
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A Career Man (Male, Atlanta, 29-35, Technical) asked:


A co-worker of mine told me that if you pay child support for a child and later on find out it's not your child then all that money is considered a gift to the child and the parent that receviced all that money is not obligated to return one penny. Can someone out there tell me if this is true or not? I was aware that child support laws were unfair but this seems to be a bit corrupt, even by those standards.

Update: October 30, 2006.
I'm not sure how this is an answer to my question but I gave you a +2 anyway. To answer your question though. I have to say "Not always" at least with me.


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A Thinker (Female, Atlanta, 36-45, Artist / Musician / Writer) answered:

Screenname: kiki812


"inotnuts" response was dead on...

But to address your other comment, "...not obligated to return one penny" - that statement is also true. The money that went to support the child does not get returned.

Child support laws aren't meant to be fair to the adults...they are meant to be fair to the child.

Legally, if a man is listed on the birth certificate as the father and the man accepts that legal status (did not challenge paternity), then the man, legally, has a financial obligation to that CHILD until that child reaches legal majority age (usually age 19).

If, before the age of majority, paternity is in question and the legal father has a paternity test performed (privately or through court order)and finds out he is NOT the biological father, there are legal actions he can take to terminate his legal status as "father", to terminate his parental rights, and REQUEST to be relieved of child support...but if that is granted through the courts, the money he has spent toward child support up until that time is not ordered returned.

Again, child support is a financial obligation to the CHILD - a child where the father has legal status for the child regardless of biological paternity (think: adoptive parents who get divorced - the non-custodial parent would be required to pay child support).

As a piece of information: there is NOTHING fair about Family Court. There is nothing absolute about it. It's "laws" and guidelines can be twisted into whatever shape the judge assigned to the case "feels" like twisting it on the day it's placed before his court. Family and Domestic Court is the most frustrating court in our country (in my experience and in my opinion) and is hugely FLAWED.

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An Intellectual Guy (Male, Newark, 29-35, Retired) answered:

Screenname: inotnuts


Untrue. If a married couple have a child, it is presumed that the man is the father (with certain exceptions). If the man undertakes to provide for the child, then the child would be entitled to child support as long as the support is "in the best interests of the child."

Even if it were later determined that the child is not the man's, depending on the state, it would be VERY difficult to remove child support payments. The courts are reluctant to do this because "society" wants people to take care of children, regardless if it is theirs or not.

Once a guy starts saying "that's my kid," its very difficult for him to get off the hook.

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A Guy Critical (Male, Philadelphia, 26-28, Who Cares?) answered:

Screenname: jasean


If a woman told me that I was the father of her child and there was a possibility that I WASN'T, then you can be sure I'd be having a DNA test done as soon as the child is born before anything like this would happen years down the road.

I'd just take her on Maury Show and have them pay for the test..."You ARE NOT the father!"

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A Hip-Hop Guy (Male, 26-28, Administrative) answered:

Screenname: drallig9399


All men should always have a paternity test done immediately. Do not trust the woman, hence us getting played for the last 50 yrs by this same dumb shit.

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A Sportif (Female, 29-35) answered:


The state might not fight for your rights, but you could certainly file a civil law suit against the mother and recover monetary damages from her.

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A Thinker (Female, 18-21) answered:


If a guy doesnt say they love you does that mean he still does anyway ?

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