If you’ve been accused of being a child’s father and you believe you are not the father, you can sign a Denial of Paternity. This is something you may want to do, for example, so that you don’t end up paying child support for someone else’s child. Below are a few key things you should know about these forms:
1. If you file the form and then decide you want to rescind your claim for any reason, you have to do it within 60 days. You also have to do it before the court case gets underway–this way, you can’t simply see that you’re going to lose the case and decide to rescind at that point.
2. The form is free, and you can get it at the hospital where the child’s birth occurred. There are other offices you can call, as well, but the easiest way to get it is at the hospital. It’s free so that the cost will never keep anyone from fighting for the truth.
3. Likewise, it doesn’t cost anything to rescind the form, if you’d like to do so.
4. If you want to rescind but you miss that deadline, there is a chance that you can challenge your own filing. This isn’t granted in every case, so it’s far better to adhere to the deadline, but it is worth considering if it’s been more than 60 days and you need other options.
Paternity is incredibly important in Texas on many legal levels. Be sure you know all of the legal steps to take to make any claims official.
Source: TexasLawHelp.org, “Texas Paternity Law: Frequently Asked Questions,” accessed May 10, 2016
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