Legal Question in Family Law in Tennessee

Re: Liability for Child Support beyond age 18

Short answer -- No.

Tennessee does not create an obligation in a divorced parent to pay for the college education of a child... nor does it create such obligations for parents who have never divorced.

Additionally in the situation you set out, Tennessee is unlikely to even have jurisdiction over the father to get him into court, let alone to order him to do anything.

Merely because the child, after reaching age 18, moves to Tennessee does not mean that Tennessee has any jurisdiction over the father. A person has to actually DO something intentionally and knowingly in order to subject them to the jurisdiction of a state's courts.

If the father is not the one who moved to Tennessee and Tennessee only gets into the picture because the child moves there, Tennessee does not get jurisdiction.

Allowing otherwise would have folks wanting to file suit looking to find a state with favorable law and moving there to sue.

Jes Beard

Jes Beard, Attorney at Law

737 Market St., Suite 601