Paternity fraud rampant in U.S.
- From: "MCP" <gf010w5035@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 07:45:38 GMT
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48871
30% of those named as fathers bilked of child support unjustly
WASHINGTON - More than three years ago, a Maine district court judge
ruled that Geoffrey Fisher no longer had to pay child support for a
child that wasn't his.
But that didn't stop the state from revoking Fisher's driver's license
and coming after him for thousands of dollars it says he owes in back
payments.
Last year, Maine sent Fisher, 35, a letter seeking $11,450 in child
support, even though officials know that DNA tests proved he isn't the
father of the child in question.
As the nation experiences an unprecedented increase in unwed motherhood,
more men are finding themselves named as "fathers," for purposes of
child support, simply because of their ability to pay, say several
recent studies.
It's called "paternity fraud," and one state that examined the problem
found as many as 30 percent of those paying child support were, indeed,
not the biological fathers of the children being supported.
The most recent comprehensive study took place in New Hampshire under
the auspices of the Commission on the Status of Men.
The commission found that even men who later were able to prove they
were paying support for the children of other men were sometimes still
forced by courts and state agencies to continue.
"Paternity fraud is a growing concern for men and children everywhere,"
concluded the commission in a report completed in November. "It can
spawn considerable grief for the men who may or may not be emotionally
attached to a child they later discover was fathered by another; and
possibly unsettling for children who may discover the false nature of
their paternity."
The New Hampshire commission took note of the case of Geoffrey Fisher.
Fisher had a brief relationship with a woman eight years ago and when
she got pregnant and told him he was the father, he believed her. He
began paying child support but eventually fell behind.
In the summer of 2001, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services
took him to court because of delinquent payments. The court ordered him
to pay up, and the state had his license suspended under the "deadbeat
dad" law.
That fall the girl, then 3, was placed in foster care. When Fisher
pushed for custody, the state ordered a paternity test, which proved he
wasn't the father.
At that point, one branch of the human services department told him he
could no longer see the girl because he wasn't the father, while another
said he owed $10,000 and couldn't have a driver's license because he was
the father.
Fisher thought the matter resolved when a judge ruled he no longer had
to pay child support in January 2002.
But then last spring, the Maine attorney general's office claimed Fisher
still owed support payments for the time from the child's birth until
she reached 3 years old, when tests proved Fisher was not the father.
"Paternity fraud is a growing problem for both men, who should have a
higher level of confidence on the paternity of their children, and for
the children who need a reliable history of both parents for the
maintenance of their physical and emotional health," concluded the New
Hampshire commission.
Carnell Smith, a paternity fraud expert, says that 30 percent of the
cases he sampled proved negative.
Like New Hampshire, California has also established a commission to
explore the problem, based on reports that 14 percent are being misnamed
as fathers. A report is expected later this year.
Florida is about to pass a new law that would end child support if a man
proves he's not the father. Like most states, Florida currently requires
that child support - once legally established - continue until the
child's 18th birthday, regardless of who the real biological father is.
Eleven states have changed similar laws since 1994.
A new state law took effect in Colorado this year that permits men, for
the first time, to challenge his paternity of alleged offspring - at
least during the proceedings of a divorce, separation or child-support
action. However, once a final order is entered, the new law says, the
man is barred from presenting evidence of non-paternity.
But there is also a problem with the way some DNA tests are conducted
and analyzed, say experts.
For instance, one physician reported that two unrelated men - one black,
the other white - both tested with a probability of paternity at 99
percent for the same child.
"Despite testing facility claims of a 99 percent accuracy rate, all men
are at risk, whether it's through a wrong paternity judgment or
paternity fraud," says Darrin Bush, developer of PaternityTestFlaw.com.
"There is a chance that a man can be determined to be the father of a
child even if he never had relations with the mother. The deck appears
to be stacked against men."
.
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