If pregnancy occurs from statutory rapemustchild support be paid?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If pregnancy occurs from statutory rapemustchild support be paid?
My boyfriend was only 14 years-old and a 20 year-old was having sex with him. She got pregnant and did not tell him until he was around 19 years-old. Now he is in serious debt for child support. Can’t he sue or get out of child support because it was statutory rape? Is there anything he can do?
Asked on September 13, 2010 under Family Law, Ohio
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
The fact that it was statutory rape has nothing to do with the obligation to support a child. Any man who fathers a child is expected, morally and legally, to help support it. So while he should speak with a family law attorney, to see if there's some way to at least reduce or modify the support (especially if it's more than he can, as a practial matter, afford), it is very likely that he will continue to have to pay, and the fact that he was underage when he fathered the child does not exempt him of his responsibility for and to it. If he doubts it's his child, then he should speak with an attorney about getting a paternity test, since as a general matter, a man would not have to pay to support another man's child.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.