Legal Question in Family Law in Tennessee
custody--how can i protect my child?
my son is 3. i was never married to his father. he has never paid child support--i have never asked for it, nor am i interested in it. he was physically abusive to me (including while i was pregnant), though there are no police reports. there is, however, his extensive criminal record (felony drug charges and aggravated assault charges). he has an explosive temper. i know tn (and most other states) don't look well upon taking all rights away from a parent. but what about in a situation like this? please advise, and thank you in advance.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: custody--how can i protect my child?
Tennessee courts are not likely to terminate his parental rights unless there is a new dad in the wings willing to adopt.
While you have grounds to terminate his parental rights simply based on his failure to pay support, it is not easy to do without another parent also asking to adopt once the bio dad's parental rights are terminated.
At the moment, you should get child support set and get his visitation rights restricted for the child's safety... but the child is entitled to the financial support of BOTH parents, even if you do not want to have contact with the dad -- parenting is NOT about doing what you want, but is instead about doing what your child needs and deserves.... like getting the financial support of both parents.
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