Parentage (UPA)

Many parents are not married to the other parent, and in such cases, either can file a Petition under the Uniform Parentage Act (called a UPA Petition).  That process first must establish the fact of parentage.  Once a person is determined to be the parent of a child, the court will determine custody and support.

 

This area of law has become very complicated, and being a biological parent does not mean as much as it did in the past.  Parties can become parents now through actions after the child is born.  The courts now consider “parent” to be a title, earned by living with the child and acting as a parent for so long it would hurt the child to end the relationship.  Recently, courts have approved three-parent findings, which will create a lot of very difficult questions.  

 

Most UPA cases have a very clear, legal process.  They must be screened to determine whether this is a case where a Petition can be filed, and whether the local court can take the case or not (if it needs to be filed somewhere else).  Once the Petition is filed and served, most cases get resolved through custody mediation and orders for support.  The case will remain active while the child is a minor, and custody or support orders can be changed as circumstances change.

 

Help-U-File has the resources and depth of experience to guide you through these cases.