Legal Question in Family Law in California

I gather by the tone of your question, that this may be more personal than the involvement of a "friend". Here's the 411: A biological parent is financially responsible for his or her child regardless of the age of the parent. Further, rights of custody and visitation do not impact parental support obligations. Consequently, if your "friend" is certain that he is the father of the baby, he should consider filing a petition for paternity with the understanding that he will need to submit to a paternity test and (and this is key) that if paternity is established, he will have an obligation for financial and medical support for the child.

The mother of the child, if she is receiving any type of public welfare assistance, must co-operate in identifying the father of the child, otherwise she may not receive cash aid for herself. Your friend may want to discuss the situation with a family law attorney or a fathers' rights advocate. And given his age, he will also want to have the support of his parents or guardians to determine what would be the best course of action. Good luck with this situation.