It is the responsibility of New Jersey parents to ensure that their children are clothed, fed, sheltered, and cared for. After a divorce, these obligations become more complicated. In many cases, one parent spends less time with the children but bears more of the financial costs of raising the children. Because the children often depend on this money to cover their basic necessities, failure to pay child support comes with severe penalties.
In at least one state, men are required to pay child support to the children of their ex-wives, even if the child is not theirs. Although the law may not be well known, one man in the state found out about it when he learned that he owed $8,500 in child support to his ex-wife’s child. Unless he takes action to correct the problem, he may be penalized if he fails to pay the child support.
The man and his wife have two sons, one of whom reportedly told the man that his ex-wife had a child with another man. In order to win his case, the man will likely have to prove through DNA testing that he’s not the father of the child, whose age is unknown.
It is unknown whether New Jersey also has a law that requires men to pay child support for children that aren’t theirs. This case may encourage states to reconsider their own child support laws to ensure that parents and children are treated fairly. People who are working through child support and child custody issues may want to talk to an attorney about their case.
Source: Huffington Post, “Child Support Law Requires Man To Pay For Another Man’s Child,” July 29, 2013
