In Tennessee, Protection Orders May Be Used or Abused
When children are born to unmarried parents in Tennessee, the father has 30 days from the birth of his child to file a paternity action with the court to legitimate (establish paternity of) the child. However, few people are aware of this law. As a result, paternity for children of unmarried parents is usually not established until there is a dispute.
At the Law Offices of Howard, Kendrick & Reynolds in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we represent mothers who wish to obtain child support for children born out of wedlock. We also represent unmarried fathers who wish to have visitation rights after the mother has cut off contact with children following the breakup of their relationship.
Establishing Paternity in Tennessee
Before child support is ordered or a parenting plan agreement approved, the court must establish paternity of the child. That can be done one of two ways:
- If both parties agree who the father is, then Tennessee courts will accept it and legitimate the child.
- If the parties do not agree, then paternity will be established by means of DNA testing.
Once paternity has been established, fathers cannot obtain a voluntary termination of parental rights.
Child Support Payments and Visitation Rights
Once paternity has been established, child support, custody and visitation rights are determined the same way for unmarried parents as they are for married parents.
Free Attorney Consultation
For more information about paternity and legitimation or to schedule a free initial consultation with a lawyer at the Law Offices of Howard, Kendrick & Reynolds, call us at 615-900-0082 or fill out the contact form on this Web site.
