Legal Question in Family Law in Virginia
Do I still have to pay child support if...
I have a child with my ex-girlfriend she has since married and moved to the West Coast. I received court papers changing the Childs last name to that of her husband but I have never given up my parental rights or been granted visitation with this child. Can this be done without adoption? If the child has been adopted, am I still required to pay child support?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Do I still have to pay child support if...
If you have not been ordered to pay support for the child, you do not have to pay. If the child has been adopted, you are no longer the father and do not have to pay.
It is possible for the child to be adopted without your knowledge; you may not have been listed as the father on the birth certificate, or the mother may have petitioned the California court for termination of your parental rights. It's possible in Virginia to serve notice of such an action by printing notices for several weeks in a local newspaper, so long as something in writing is sent to the last known address of the father; the same kind of notice procedure may exist in California.
Re: Do I still have to pay child support if...
Yes, a child's name can usually be changed through appropriate court action without the necessity of going through an adoption.
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