Dallas Paternity Family Law Attorneys | Dallas County Paternity Issues
What is Paternity and what does it mean for you?
Paternity refers to fatherhood, or the legal and biological relationship to a child. In Texas, a man is presumed to be the legal father of a child if the child is born during a marriage to the child's mother, he consented to assisted reproduction by his wife that resulted in the birth of a child, or a child was born within 300 days after the marriage ended by divorce or annulment. The man is also the presumed to be the legal father if the child was born outside of the marriage if:
- He married the child's mother after the birth, and voluntarily filed an acknowledgment of paternity with the Bureau of Vital Statistics;
- He voluntarily named himself as the child's father on the child's birth certificate;
- He promised in a record to support the child as his own;
- He lived continuously in the same household with the child during the first two years of the child's life and told people that the child was his;
- He adopted the child; or
- He intended to be a father, provided sperm to a licensed physician, and consented to assisted reproduction by an unmarried woman that resulted in the birth of a child.
Acknowledgment of Paternity, DNA Testing, & Paternity Disputes
If the man is unmarried and not a presumed legal father under the above circumstances, then there is no legal father for the child unless the court finds the man to be the father through paternity testing or the man and the child's mother sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity. An Acknowledgment of Paternity can be filed before the child is born, or in the hospital at the time of birth. If both parents voluntarily acknowledge paternity, the man's name is placed on the birth certificate.
Even if both parents agree to an Acknowledgment of Paternity, the court may have to determine custody, visitation, child support and other parental rights.
What happens if the mother or the man who signed the acknowledgment gets new information suggesting that the man is not the father?
If a party files suit to determine paternity, the court will order genetic testing. It will be necessary for the alleged father, child, and mother all to be tested. If the results prove that the alleged father is in fact the father, he will be officially named as such and ordered to pay child support. If the mother fails to submit her test results or her child’s test results, judgment will automatically be entered in favor of the alleged father. Any party that fails to submit the results of the paternity test also risks being held in contempt by the court. If the paternity test reveals the man to be the father, he may also be forced to pay for the expenses of the paternity test for the mother and child.
A paternity dispute is a serious legal matter that can have life-long personal and financial ramifications if not handled properly. If you find yourself caught in a paternity dispute, there are time limits in which to act and strict court procedures you must follow. You should immediately contact a Dallas paternity lawyer or Dallas County paternity suit lawyer to help you understand your rights.
Centers for DNA Paternity Testing in the Dallas Area
Confidential STD Testing - Dallas 11613 N Central Expressway Suite 118 Dallas, TX (877) 685-6570 |
Confidential STD Testing - Dallas 1151 N Buckner Boulevard Suite 106 Dallas, TX (877) 685-6570 |
DNA Paternity Testing Centers 3600 Gaston Avenue Dallas, TX 75246 (866) 944-9546 |
Pinnacle Medical Management |
Pinnacle Practices, Inc. 13410 Preston Road Suite C381 Dallas, TX 75240 (214) 654-0111 |
9323 Garland Road Dallas, TX 75218 (866) 944-9546 |
701 Commerce Street Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 573-7600 |
2828 Forest Lane Dallas, TX 75234 (866) 780-3926 |
4567 S Westmoreland Road Dallas, TX 75237 (214) 333-9362 |
3535 N Buckner Boulevard Dallas, TX 75228 (866) 944-9546 |
512 W Davis Street 5, Dallas, TX 75208 (214) 664-1362 |
3600 Gaston Avenue Suite Dallas, TX 75246 (866) 592-9497 |
703 Mckinney Avenue Suite Dallas, TX 75202 (866) 592-9497 |
3801 Gaston Avenue104 Dallas, TX 75246-2538 (214) 699-4021 |
9440 Poppy Drive Dallas, TX 75218 (866) 592-9497 |
8100 John W Carpenter Freeway Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75247 (866) 592-9497 |
8267 Elmbrook Drive Dallas, TX 75247 (866) 592-9497 |
6350 E Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75214 (866) 592-9497 |
3141 Irving Boulevard Suite 220, Dallas, TX 75247 (866) 592-9497 |
6612 Harry Hines Boulevard Dallas, TX 75235 (866) 592-9497 |
427 W 10th Street Dallas, TX 75208 (866) 592-9497 |
5303 Ross Avenue Dallas, TX 75206 (866) 592-9497 |
4311 Bryan Street Dallas, TX 75204 (866) 592-9497 |
4006 Live Oak Street Dallas, TX 75204 (866) 592-9497 |
3900 Junius Street Dallas, TX 75246 (866) 592-9497 |
If you have any questions about who the father of a child is, call a Dallas paternity attorney today!
Serving clients throughout Central Texas, including Addison, Allen, Arlington, Audelia, Balch Springs, Bedford, Cedar Hill, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Coppell, Dallas, Dalrock, De Soto, Duncanville, Farmers Branch, Ft. Worth, Forney, Garland, Glenn Heights, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Highland Park, Hutchins, Irving, Lancaster, Lewisville, Mansfield, Mesquite, Midlothian, Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rockwall, Rowlett, Sachse, Seagoville, Sunnyvale, Trinity Mills, University Park, Wilmer, Wylie, areas in the vicinity of Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, and other communities in Collin County, Dallas County, Denton County, Kaufman County, and Rockwall County.