Q: Found out I may have a daughter. I'm taking the mother to court. The girl is 11 will I have to pay retro years cs?
Nobody had any idea who the father was. And I intiated the case
A:
Hello and thank you for asking your question. This must have come as a great surprise. I'll do my best to answer you, here. First and foremost, paternity will have to be established, if it has not been already. I would suggest asking for a DNA test just to be sure.
Once paternity is established, then the court will be able to handle issues of child support, custody and parenting time. With regard to child support, it will not be retroactive. It will only go back to the date that child support is formally requested. So, you will most likely have to go to court twice: the first time to request paternity testing and then the second time to hear the results and have the judge make decisions about support, etc.
How much support you will pay is based on the NJ Child Support Guidelines, a computer program that all courts in NJ use. Your income as well as your child's other parent income is factored into the program along with other items such as out-of-pocket medical expenses if they apply.
If you'd like more assistance with custody or parenting time questions, see an attorney to get good and specific advice on your situation. Many, like our firm, offer free consultations. Hope this helped! Regards, Bari
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
