Paternity Fraud

Paternity fraud occurs when a mother names a man to be the biological father of a child, when she knows or suspects that he is not the biological father.

None of the states require a mother who files a claim for child support to advise the court or child-support agencies when another man (other than the one they named) could potentially be the father.  As a result, thousands of men are paying child support for children who may not be their own, and thousands of children are being denied a relationship with their biological fathers and extended families. 

This deception has come to be known in legal circles as “paternity fraud.” Paternity Fraud is also called “Child Identity Fraud” by some.

There are 3 primary victims in cases of paternity fraud: the child, the biological father, and the male falsely identified by the mother to be the child’s father.  Paternal and maternal relatives are also victims.

Abusive practices in false paternity establishments occur in many ways; however, the most common are:

• Default Judgments are issued against men when they haven’t responded to a summons or failed to appear before a court of law to establish paternity.  Regardless of whether or not they were made aware of their court date.
  
  
• In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Forms are a legal document that men sign in the hospital to legally establish paternity.  Once, signed the court may order child support for the baby without having a court hearing to prove who the father is.
  
  
• Presumed Paternity is the legal determination that a man is “presumed to be” a child’s biological father whenever a child is born to a married couple.

There was a time, when paternity was difficult to establish and presumptions served the useful purpose of solving the otherwise unsolvable.  Today, our nation’s courts have come to accept DNA evidence as absolute proof of innocence even in death row cases.

So why have courts been so slow to accept DNA as proof that a man didn’t father a child? 

Instead defenders of paternity fraud believe that it isn’t in the children’s “best interest” to disclose the truth as to who the biological father is.  Yet, it is highly doubtful that many children would believe that it is in their “best interest” to be lied to so that they can get money from an unrelated, innocent man.

The children who are the real victims in paternity fraud, deserve better than to have their support paid by a wrongly accused man.  

No civilized society should teach its children that lies are the path to success in our courts or anywhere else.  

In many cases, a man paying child support due to paternity fraud doesn’t even know, or have a relationship with the child. Seeking custody would be illogical for these men who do not want to perpetuate the lie that they are the biological father.

When the child wants to pursue a relationship with the person that is financially supporting them the situation becomes even more confusing, awkward, and dysfunctional, making the child feel misplaced and unwanted.

The child never asked for the wrong person to be designated as their father.  

In presumed paternity cases, where mothers do truthfully disclose who the biological father is, states often don’t go after the biological father for child support.  Instead their husbands are held financially responsible even when DNA testing proves they are not the biological father.  Once again, creating confusion and dysfunction within the family.

Paternity fraud is prevalent and has devastating consequences for men, women, and children.

People often think that paternity fraud is just a men’s issue, yet according to the Women Against Paternity Fraud website “Paternity Fraud has devastating effects (not only on men), but the women in their lives; their spouses, girlfriends, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, relatives, and especially on children. Women who were lied to about who their biological fathers are are also considered paternity fraud victims.

Paternity fraud is an issue that affects families and robs children of their medical history, identity, father figure, and benefits such as inheritance, medical and life insurance, and rights to social security and veteran’s benefits.  

Nobody knows for certain how many paternity fraud victims there are.  Whether the number is ten thousand or ten million, significant numbers of paternity fraud victims exist and families are suffering from the burdens imposed by false paternity establishments.  

The American Associations of Blood Blanks, annually reports that approximately twenty-eight percent of all paternity tests…exclude the targeted man. 

Paternity fraud occurs when a mother names a man to be the biological father of a child, when she knows or suspects that he is not the biological father.

None of the states require a mother who files a claim for child support to advise the court or child-support agencies when another man (other than the one they named) could potentially be the father.  As a result, thousands of men are paying child support for children who may not be their own, and thousands of children are being denied a relationship with their biological fathers and extended families. 

This deception has come to be known in legal circles as “paternity fraud.” Paternity Fraud is also called “Child Identity Fraud” by some.

There are 3 primary victims in cases of paternity fraud: the child, the biological father, and the male falsely identified by the mother to be the child’s father.  Paternal and maternal relatives are also victims.

Abusive practices in false paternity establishments occur in many ways; however, the most common are:

• Default Judgments are issued against men when they haven’t responded to a summons or failed to appear before a court of law to establish paternity.  Regardless of whether or not they were made aware of their court date.

• In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Forms are a legal document that men sign in the hospital to legally establish paternity.  Once, signed the court may order child support for the baby without having a court hearing to prove who the father is.

• Presumed Paternity is the legal determination that a man is “presumed to be” a child’s biological father whenever a child is born to a married couple.

There was a time, when paternity was difficult to establish and presumptions served the useful purpose of solving the otherwise unsolvable.  Today, our nation’s courts have come to accept DNA evidence as absolute proof of innocence even in death row cases.

So why have courts been so slow to accept DNA as proof that a man didn’t father a child? 

Instead defenders of paternity fraud believe that it isn’t in the children’s “best interest” to disclose the truth as to who the biological father is.  Yet, it is highly doubtful that many children would believe that it is in their “best interest” to be lied to so that they can get money from an unrelated, innocent man.

The children who are the real victims in paternity fraud, deserve better than to have their support paid by a wrongly accused man.  

No civilized society should teach its children that lies are the path to success in our courts or anywhere else.  

In many cases, a man paying child support due to paternity fraud doesn’t even know, or have a relationship with the child. Seeking custody would be illogical for these men who do not want to perpetuate the lie that they are the biological father.

When the child wants to pursue a relationship with the person that is financially supporting them the situation becomes even more confusing, awkward, and dysfunctional, making the child feel misplaced and unwanted.

The child never asked for the wrong person to be designated as their father.  

In presumed paternity cases, where mothers do truthfully disclose who the biological father is, states often don’t go after the biological father for child support.  Instead their husbands are held financially responsible even when DNA testing proves they are not the biological father.  Once again, creating confusion and dysfunction within the family.

Paternity fraud is prevalent and has devastating consequences for men, women, and children.

People often think that paternity fraud is just a men’s issue, yet according to the Women Against Paternity Fraud website “Paternity Fraud has devastating effects (not only on men), but the women in their lives; their spouses, girlfriends, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, relatives, and especially on children. Women who were lied to about who their biological fathers are are also considered paternity fraud victims.

Paternity fraud is an issue that affects families and robs children of their medical history, identity, father figure, and benefits such as inheritance, medical and life insurance, and rights to social security and veteran’s benefits.  

Nobody knows for certain how many paternity fraud victims there are.  Whether the number is ten thousand or ten million, significant numbers of paternity fraud victims exist and families are suffering from the burdens imposed by false paternity establishments.