The Legal Rights of Unmarried Parents
Paternity Testing ∙ Child Custody ∙ Visitation Rights ∙ Child Support
Ohio law requires parents to share responsibility for any children they have together, whether or not the parents are married. The first step in establishing these legal rights is often a paternity action, which may or may not require paternity testing of the father.
At the law firm of Betras, Maruca, Kopp, & Harshman, LLC, with offices in and around Youngstown, Ohio, our attorneys represent both mothers and alleged fathers in paternity actions:
- Mothers who want to establish paternity so they can get child support or public assistance
- Fathers who want to challenge paternity
- Fathers who want to establish paternity so they can have visitation rights and legal parental responsibility for the child
How to Establish Paternity
If both parents agree and want to establish legal paternity for a child, they can complete a form called an Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit, either at the hospital when the child is born, at an office of the Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency, or at any Ohio Vital Statistics office.
If either party disputes paternity, then a formal paternity action may be filed in court with the help of a lawyer by the mother, the father, or the child. The court may order DNA testing to prove paternity.
If the alleged father fails to submit to paternity testing, the judge may decide that there is a parent-child relationship between the alleged father and the child, even without the paternity testing.
Once Paternity Is Established
If paternity is successfully established, then the father takes on all the usual parental legal rights and responsibilities. He can bring a formal action requesting child custody or visitation rights, and he becomes responsible for payment of child support.
We Are Available to Answer Your Questions
About Paternity Testing and Paternity Actions
We offer every new client a free, and confidential, initial consultation. Our rates for family law-related legal work are competitive, and you get the strength of our entire firm on your side.
Our main offices are located in Canfield, Ohio, and we have branch offices in Niles and East Liverpool.
To schedule an appointment, call 1-866-405-0428 or send us an e-mail.
