Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

I received a summons for "petition to establish parentage" From The Illinois Dept of Healthcare and Family Services..... It was a girl I met one night and that was the last I heard from her until now. My income is extremely low, In fact I just got a job, for 5.80 an hour plus commission at Sears, after a year on unemployment. (I have moved back in with my father at the age of 30.) What do I do? The court date is in 10 days. (The Address on The summons was wrong so it took them 3 weeks to find me) Do I need an attorney at this point?


Asked on 5/15/11, 2:40 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
David Gotzh Law Office of David Gotzh

Up north, DHS cases are prosecuted by the state's attorney - however I suspect in a small downstate place, it's going to be the AG's office. If your DNA test comes back positive, you will be responsible to pay 20% of your net income until the child is 18, plus I'm betting $10 they're backdating it to include delivery/birthing costs. This is laid out in the parentage statute (Section 14) and 750 ILCS 5/505 of the IMDMA.

If you don't pony up the cash, you'll lose your license, and/or be put in jail. So do you feel like handling this case on your own?

That's what I though...

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Answered on 5/15/11, 6:19 am


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