Nisandi Silva

ISM-Period 6
LaMance, Ken. “Uniform Parentage Act and Paternity.” Uniform Parentage Act and Paternity |

LegalMatch Law Library, 28 Feb. 2018.

 The Uniform Parentage Act deals with parentage of children.

 Affects married and unmarried couples.
 UPA is about paternity law.
 Through the UPA, you can establish parentage.
 Through the UPA, you can have genetic testing.
 Basically, the UPA determines parentage.
 More recently revised in 2002.
 One of the changes made was which persons could bring a paternity suit.
 Now, any person can file a paternity complaint.
 A presumed father is when the person is married to the child’s mother at conception
and/or who had lived with the child for the first 2 years.
 All states have adopted the UPA.
 Only 6 have adopted the 2002 version.
 Some states are in the process of revising.
 The UPA defines a father as a man that acknowledges paternity.
 Determined to be the child’s father during a past paternity suit.
 Adoptive fathers.
 The UPA excels in important areas of paternity and parenting laws.
 Different regions can lead to different paternity laws.
 You should need a family lawyer if you have paternity issues.
 New changes have advanced in technology.
 There is now assisted conception and genetic testing.
 DE, ND, OK, TX, WA, WY, and UT all have adopted the 2002 UPA.

This source was very beneficial for my project of parentage because the Universal Parentage Act
contains all the laws that family lawyers and individuals must abide by as well as a clear
description into what it is and its changes.
 Nisandi Silva
ISM-Period 6
“Acknowledgment of Paternity & Denial of Paternity.” TexasLawHelp.org - Providing Free and

Reliable Legal Information & Forms for Civil Legal Issues in Texas, 16 Mar. 2018,

texaslawhelp.org/article/acknowledgment-paternity-denial-paternity.

 The basic definition of paternity is who is the father?

 When paternity is established, whoever the child’s genetic father is, obtains all rights and
duties of a parent.
 It is important to establish paternity because it gives the father his rights as a patent.
 Establishing it also allows financial support, benefits, and medical history.
 A court cannot force an alleged father to pay child support it is been proven.
 A child might not be able to get benefits from the father such as social security,
insurance, inheritance and veterans benefits.
 Also, without the real father, children might not know if they will have possible health
issues.
 A legal form signed by the child’s mother and genetic father stating that the father is the
child’s father is a called Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP).
 Mostly used when the mother and father are not married.
 When the child is born when the mother is married to another person or within 300 days
of the divorce date, the ex-husband is the child’s presumed father.
 Meaning they can’t use the AOP to establish paternity if the presumed father also signs
the Denial of Paternity.
 A legal form signed by a presumed father that states that he is not the child’s genetic
father is called Denial of Paternity.
 DOP and AOP need to be filed.
 There is no cost to filing an AOP.
 There is no cost to filing a DOP.
 The AOP can be signed by an 18-year-old.
 The AOP isn’t valid until it is filed in the Vital Statistics Unit.
 You can be guilty of committing perjury if you lie on the AOP.
 A requirement for AOP is stating that the child doesn’t already have a presumed father.
 A requirement for AOP is making sure no one hasn’t been named father in a court order.
 A requirement for AOP is making sure that the man signing the AOP is the actual father.
 You can be guilty of perjury if you lie on the DOP.
 Requirements for AOP is basically the same for DOP.
 If you file a Rescission of Acknowledge of Paternity, you can take back the AOP and
DOP you signed.
 Before the 60th day after filing AOP or DOP and before the court case.

The source is beneficial to my presentation because it describes in detail what the

Acknowledgement of Paternity and Denial of Paternity is/does which plays a key role in filing
for paternity.
 Nisandi Silva
ISM-Period 6
“How to Calculate Child Support in Texas.” Calculate Child Support in Texas | Reach

Agreements on Child Support | Mediation, www.divorcemediationtexas.com/what-we-

do/child-support/how-to-calculate.

 Child support is determined by how much the parent paying makes monthly.
 There is a limit to how much parent pays.
 The parents can agree on the amount or the court can/will decide.
 There is a formula to calculate child support
 Basically, averaging out the paying parents monthly earning and applying it to how many
children there are.
 If you have one child, its 20% of gross income
 If you have 2 children, 25% of gross income
 If you have 3 children 30% of gross income
 If you have 4 children 35% of gross income
 If you have 5 children 40% of gross income
 If you have 6 children, no less than 40% of gross income
 If paying parent earns $3000 monthly is $600 for one child
 Judges consider many things
 The child’s age and needs
 School expenses
 Heath care
 If parents have a child, they don’t share
 Ability to pay
 Benefits from employer, different person or business
 Debts
 Childs best interests
 The judge cannot pay attention to the sex of the paying parent and if the parents are
married.
 Parents need to figure out a parenting plan

This source is beneficial because it explains how to calculate child support which is an important
factor after paternity has been established.