Craig W. Polanzi Attorney at Law

Information About Paternity

Paternity is a legal determination that a male is the father of a child.

Paternity cases are for parties that are not married at the time of a child’s birth. Paternity needs to be established for a male to have legal rights towards a child. If there is a dispute as to who the biological father is, a genetic test may be ordered by the Court. The results can typically take 6 weeks.

Paternity cases are filed when the parties cannot agree on:

• Child Support
• Visitation
• Custody

To establish paternity, the parties can:

• Marry each other after the child is born
• Sign the Establishment of Paternity at the time of the child's birth
• File a paternity case in Family Court

Once paternity is established, the father then has rights of custody and visitation toward that child. Child support obligation also comes with the established rights. The mother may wish to pursue back child support from the father.

The filing of a paternity case will allow a mother to pursue child support and possible medical insurance for the child.