Legal Question in Family Law in New York
Unmarried seeking child-support
A 37 y/o single mom; never married; consider myself my son's custodial parent but its not 'legal'. Fatherhood recognized on birth certif. I communicate with the father, my son knows him, amicable - til now. He moved to Florida, new girlfriend, fathered 2 children and is a self-employed graphic artist on Florida public assistance. No legal support order currently in place. Voluntary support is minimal and sporadic in small incriments. What is step 1 to getting us child support.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Unmarried seeking child-support
The child is entitled, under New York law, to support from the father, in an amount dependent upon factors relating to the father's and your incomes, up to the age of 21 in most cases. If he's on public assistance, it gets a bit more complicated.
Suffice it to say that you will need to bring an action to compel the support. It's not impossible to do this on your own, but working with an attorney will certainly both limit your frustration and heighten your chance of success.