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Court Hearing for Legal Fatherhood
If a man is named as the possible father and does not agree - OR - if a man states he is the father of a child and the mother does not agree, a court hearing will be scheduled. The court will make a ruling about paternity. Both the man and the mother will be notified of the hearing. Both should attend.
At the hearing, the man’s rights and responsibilities will be explained to him. If he wants genetic testing, he should ask the court for genetic tests.
If the man does not appear at the scheduled time and place of the hearing, the court may still enter a ruling. The court may name the man as the father even if he is not at the hearing. This is called a "default judgment."
A default paternity judgment is effective on the date the court names a man as the father. The court may then order child support.
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