Q: My girlfriend of 13yrs fled with my son. He's attending the same Florida school. Can I pick him up from school
I recently politely confronted her about drinking. She left and has been silent since. Her father said I'm to have no contact, the Sherriff dept and child services said that's not true. She hasn't returned calls for several weeks. Due to her demeanor, I have restricted calls to the time she picks my son up from school. Child services has been to my home, and found no reason my son shouldn't be here. I don't though, want to stir the fire. I just want to see my son and she has a history of keeping him from me, to keep me "on ice" while she's doing whatever she does when free from the moral constraints of being part of a family.
A: More information is needed to answer your question fully. You said this was your girlfriend, which leaves me to assume the 2 of you were never married. Therefore, paternity establishment comes into play. Has paternity already been established by a court, or by an administrative proceeding (such as DOR/child support)? If paternity has not been established by some court order, your rights to your child can/may be very limited. If paternity has been established, has there been a timesharing agreement and child support agreement ordered? These also determine the extent of your rights. Sounds like you need to get with an attorney ASAP to discuss your rights and how to proceed accordingly.
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