As a male parent, what are my legal obligations when it comes to an out of marriage child?
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As a male parent, what are my legal obligations when it comes to an out of marriage child?
The mother has filed a civil suit against me for child support and is also demanding other costs such as compensation for her legal fees for the suit and compensation for all costs prior to birth. Am I legally obligated to pay all these costs? The mother has never directly contacted me for aid of any kind prior to filing this civil suit.
Asked on June 12, 2015 under Family Law, Georgia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
You do have to pay child support--a child's legal and moral right to support is not affected by the marital status of his/her parents. The mother may be able to collect at least a portion of prenatal medical costs, since those are costs directly attributable to your child. She is unlikely to recover her legal expenses, since the U.S. legal system generally does not make one party pay the legal expenses of the other, however, it is not impossible that the court may require you to pay, especially if it concludes that you unnecessarily (without good defense) ran up those costs for her.
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