Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

I have been with my boyfriend since 2001. We separated in 2007 and he quickly found someone new; I realized I was pregnant, and within a month or two he broke things off with the new one and tried to make things work with us as a family. Things have been great, but he did have one trip up in 2008 where the �ex� contacted him and he cheated on me. He didn�t talk to her since then and was surprised to get a paternity notice approximately 11 months later. I�m thinking she intentionally got pregnant, but that�s a moot point.
He use to be self-employed in the commercial real estate business but his business tanked in late 2007 and he was pretty much jobless when I had the baby. He occasionally will do real estate consulting work when old clients need some research done and will sometimes make a thousand here and there. My guess is he makes $5000 a year, maybe slightly more. A few years ago he tried desperately to get a job, but unfortunately he has a record (a few FELONY drug offenses) from when he was a dumb 20 year old in the late 80s. He has an accounting degree from the University of Miami and is smart, but in such a competitive job market where there are tons of applicants, everyone overlooks the one with a criminal record. After months of trying to look for a job, I just told him not to worry about it and be a stay-at-home dad. I�m sure he could get a job at McDonald�s, but that would just pay for daycare so what�s the use. I make $30,000 a year ($2100/mo) and my mortgage payment is $1160 per month. It�s clear to see I can�t afford daycare and things are extremely tight at our house but I somehow magically make it happen (without credit cards!).
He took a paternity test (don�t know results) but I�m sure it�s positive because�..he received notice that his first hearing is on January 25. (1) What can we expect? (2) I understand the court probably does not see a stay-at-home dad as an excuse to not have a job � do I need to start paying him a �salary� as a nanny? (3) Do I need to file for child support so that he owes the other party less? All parties live in Florida. We are not married. He owns nothing; everything is in my name. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Asked on 1/07/11, 1:46 pm

Carolyn Jones Law Office of Carolyn R. Jones

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You can expect that if your boyfriend is found to be the father then he will be ordered to pay child support.

Answered on 1/13/11, 9:13 am

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