PATERNITY - Petition to Determine Parental Relationship - A "Petition to Determine Parental Relationship" (this may have different names in some states) is a legal document filed with a court to establish or challenge the legal parentage of a child, potentially leading to orders regarding custody, visitation, and child support.
The petition initiates a legal process to determine who the child's legal parents are, especially when parents are not married or when there's a dispute about parentage.
Either parent, or the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), can file a Petition to Determine Parental Relationship.
The petition can address issues such as:
- Establishing or denying a parental relationship.
- Determining custody and visitation (parenting time).
- Ordering child support.
- Requesting genetic testing to determine parentage.
Process (this may vary some depending on the State, the below is based on California):
- The petitioner (the person filing the petition) files the petition with the court.
- The other party (the respondent) is served with these documents.
- The respondent has 30 days to file a Response.
- If the respondent doesn't respond, the petitioner can ask for a default judgment.
- If there's a dispute, the case will go to trial, where a judge will make a decision.
- The judge can order genetic testing, determine custody, visitation, and child support.
Does not include Court Costs, Electronic Filing Fees, Service of Process or Genetic Testing Costs.
PATERNITY - Petition to Determine Parental Relationship (Nationwide)
PATERNITY - Petition to Determine Parental Relationship - A "Petition to Determine Parental Relationship" (this may have different names in some states) is a legal document filed with a court to establish or challenge the legal parentage of a child, potentially leading to orders regarding custody, visitation, and child support.
The petition initiates a legal process to determine who the child's legal parents are, especially when parents are not married or when there's a dispute about parentage.
Either parent, or the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), can file a Petition to Determine Parental Relationship.
The petition can address issues such as:
- Establishing or denying a parental relationship.
- Determining custody and visitation (parenting time).
- Ordering child support.
- Requesting genetic testing to determine parentage.
Process (this may vary some depending on the State, the below is based on California):
- The petitioner (the person filing the petition) files the petition with the court.
- The other party (the respondent) is served with these documents.
- The respondent has 30 days to file a Response.
- If the respondent doesn't respond, the petitioner can ask for a default judgment.
- If there's a dispute, the case will go to trial, where a judge will make a decision.
- The judge can order genetic testing, determine custody, visitation, and child support.
Does not include Court Costs, Electronic Filing Fees, Service of Process or Genetic Testing Costs.