When you have a child in Kentucky, you may want to enjoy a healthy relationship with this child. If you are not married to the child's mother, the situation may sometimes be more complicated. However, there are still ways you can demonstrate that a child is your son or daughter.
What should unmarried men know about paternity?
How does an unmarried father seek custody or visitation?
Family courts throughout the United States, including Kentucky, generally presume that children benefit from the involvement of both parents in their upbringing unless there is specific evidence to the contrary. This means that, as the biological father of a child, you have the right to seek custody or visitation after a split from the child's mother regardless of whether you and she were ever married.
How is paternity legally established?
You may already know why it is important to legally establish paternity of a child in Kentucky. If you are the father of a child, you have parental rights with regard to custody and/or visitation as well as a responsibility to support the child financially in the event of a split between you and the child's mother. Your rights and responsibilities as a parent are the same regardless of whether or not you and the child's mother were ever married. Establishing paternity cements you as the legal father of the child.
Why might you need a paternity test for a divorce?
As a parent in Kentucky who is currently going through a divorce, you have to simultaneously handle matters of childcare and custody. Lisa L. Johnson, attorney at law, will help you look into paternity testing. This may be necessary for several reasons during the course of your divorce case.
