Q: If the father has never paid child support does he have parental rights with no court order?
My son is two his father has never paid his child support and is now trying to get back in our lives. I believe this to be harmful to my son. Does he still have his rights?
A: Yes, he has the right to Petition the court to get visitation with his child. As part of any court order allowing visitation the court will also order child support. If you already have a child support order and he has not been paying, you can go to the local district Attorney and ask them to enforce the order. The courts generally don't punish people for not paying child support by denying them access to their children although in extreme cases that can happen but it is rare.
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