Signing a Paternity Affidavit at the hospital after your child is born is NOT good enough. There are many reasons why it is in everyone’s best interests to File a Petition to Establish Paternity in Court. This video outlines four (4) huge reasons everyone should file a Petition to Establish Paternity as soon as possible.
First, there are several legal deadlines that may dramatically impact your parental rights or terminate your parental rights completely if you do not file a Petition to Establish Paternity in Court even if you have signed a Paternity Affidavit.
Second, signing a Paternity Affidavit really only creates an obligation to pay child support but does not give you any enforceable rights. In order to have enforceable parenting time rights or decision making rights, you will need a court order that establishes those rights and then, if the other parent violates the court order, you have the ability to enforce that order by filing a Petition for Contempt against the violating party.
Third, if you wait to file Paternity at a later date, you will almost certainly be straddled with a huge child support arrearage that will financially impact you for many years. Finally, it is best to file a Petition to Establish Paternity in Court even if you and the mother are still a couple or even living together because it will ease any transition in the future in the event your relationship with the other parent comes to an end. If you are an Indiana resident and you need to file a Petition to Establish Paternity, you should call McCoy Law today. We are here to ensure your rights are protected.