Q: Paternity established in virginia, child lives in maryland, 17, He may not be my biological child. Maryland? or Virgina
My child works full time, is currently 17 years old, and I've been paying support for him his whole life. His mother and I separated when he was 2. We have a great relationship and will continue to but as he gets older he looks just like my former best friend. I will continue to be apart of his life but would like to see about stopping support payments and what legal actions I have to pursue in court for paternity fraud. She's cheated on me before and this is heart breaking.
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A: The only legitimate reason to do at DNA test now at this incredibly late date would be simply to know the truth. If the child is 17 and you plan to be a part of the child's life regardless of the result, then logically speaking, doing a DNA test now is likely a bad idea and just a waste of time and money (assuming you can even get the test ordered if they refuse to participate). You would likely end up spending more to stop child support than you are paying in child support and the odds of you getting anything back from the mother for support you have already paid is likely less than slim and none. That said, it never hurts to consult a local family law attorney who can review your specific situation in more detail than can be done in a forum like this and better lay out your options and odds. But very likely unless you and the child just really want to know as certain as modern science can prove - you likely should just let sleeping dogs lie. Especially since there are likely hearts other than yours to consider. Best of luck.
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