If you are the mother
In Arkansas, when a child is born to an unmarried woman, the mother of the child
automatically has full custody of the child. If you want the court to order the father to pay child support or medical bills for your child, then you need to file a paternity action. If the father has taken your child without your permission or has refused to return your child to your care and custody, then you need to contact law enforcement to see if they will assist you in regaining physical custody of your child. The law is clear. The mother has full custody of a child born outside of marriage. See A.C.A. Sec. 9-10-113. If you need to hire an attorney to obtain a court order to regain custody of your child, call Attorney June Anteski for a free telephone consultation at (479) 963-3055 or you can leave a message for me at (479) 452-8064 or (479) 357-1881. I have three (3) offices to serve you: Anteski Law Firm 3505 E. Chism Street Paris, AR 72855 Anteski Law Firm 2501 Meadow Lane Barling, AR 72923 Anteski Law Firm 1916 Whippoorwill Drive Greenwood, AR 72936 |
If you think you are the father
If a child was born during your marriage, there is a presumption of paternity, namely that the husband is the father of the child. This presumption may only be overcome by DNA Paternity Testing.
If you are single and you think you may have fathered a child out of wedlock, then you need to hire an attorney to file a paternity action. Having your name listed as the child's father on the birth certificate does not establish paternity. Only a Court of Law can determine paternity. After paternity has been established by DNA testing or an Agreed Order, the father can then file for a change of custody seeking either full or joint custody, visitation rights, name change of child, child support, and medical insurance or bills paid that were incurred during the pregnancy and/or post delivery. It is important to establish paternity because both parents and the child have a right to a parent/child relationship. By establishing paternity, the father is providing his child with certain rights and privileges, which may include: love, emotional and financial support, access to family medical records, inheritance rights, Veterans' and Social Security benefits, medical and life insurance protection, and legal documentation of who the parents are. To determine your child support obligation, simply call me for a free telephone consultation or you can e-mail me by clicking the link below. I will need the following information from you: your paycheck information, namely: your gross income, the other parent's gross income, whether you currently pay court ordered alimony or child support for anyone, whether you pay for childcare for anyone, and whether you pay for medical or dental insurance for your child(ren). If so, I will need to know the cost of the childcare and the medical or dental insurance coverage for your child(ren) only. |