Child Custody & Support
| Putative Father's Standing to Seek Custody of a Child |
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| The changing nature of marital and other domestic relationships in the United States has been reflected in a corresponding evolution in the way in which the legal system deals with issues related to family law. One such group of issues concerns the child custody rights of a putative father, that is to say, a man who is supposed or reputed to be the father of a child born to a woman to whom he is not married or who claims to be the father of such a child. More... |
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| Child Support Arrearages |
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| The federal government provides financial assistance to states to collect local and interstate child support obligations. States have enacted a wide variety of methods to collect child support from those who are obligated to pay and fail or refuse to do so. More... |
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| Modification of Custody based on Parental Financial Resources |
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| Both parents are required to contribute toward the support of a child. The amount of support is based on the income of the parents, with adjustments for certain other obligations such as day care or extraordinary health expenses. For the most part, courts do not consider modifying custody based solely on a parent's financial resources, but such resources may be a factor where a change in circumstances can be shown. More... |
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| Modification of Custody based on Parental Unfitness |
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| If subsequent to the time a court awarded joint or sole legal custody to a parent, the parent becomes unfit to have custody of the child, a court will not hesitate to modify custody. More... |
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| Custody Enforcement through Sanctions |
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| Where a person has been awarded the custody of a child and another person or agency has failed to return the child to that person, the person with legal custody can file a motion for contempt of court and request that some penalty or sanctions be imposed on the one who unlawfully failed to return the child. More... |
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