Back Child Support Liability for an Adult Child, Unknown to Father

[ghendi]

My question involves child support in the State of: Florida, Michigan, Colorado??
A year ago what turns out to be my Bouncing Baby 22 year old son contacts me on Facebook. I was totally unaware that he even existed, We have not done a paternity test, but just by looking at his childhood photo's...He's mine, no denying it. His mother and I were together briefly in Florida, before I joined the Navy, she was 22/23 and I was 16/17 (I joined the Navy with my mothers consent at 17). The mother moved back home to Michigan and had the baby, (I turned 18 before he was born) the mother never tried contacting me to tell me I was a Father, collect child support, nothing. I have since gotten married and have 2 other children, I've bought a home in Colorado, and I'm now retired from the Navy, and I'm also drawing Disability from the VA at 100% Permanent and Total rating, which mean's my children are able to take advantage of 45 months of VA paid College. Me and my new son have been talking for just over a year now, and were going to meet for the first time this November, I've grown very found on him and I would like to offer him this opportunity to goto college, but I have to get him listed as my Son on my Military and VA paperwork so that he is authorized for this, in order to do that I need to get some kind of documentation/affidavit/paternity test saying he is my son, but by doing that am I opening myself up to being liable for back Child Support? I'm sorry to be so long winded, but just putting all the facts out there. In actuality, I don't think my son or his mother would do that (sue for back child support) because they haven't mentioned anything like that in our talks, they were afraid I was angry at her for not telling me about him, which is true, but I've not let them know that, not much I could do anyway. But if this were to be brought up latter, I'd like to be prepared for it. So would I be liable?

[jk]

so, does this kid have a legal father? Any name on the birth certificate?

[ghendi]

No Father was listed on his Birth Certificate. So I guess in those terms, No Legal Father at this time. Biologically I'm sure he is mine, his teenage photo's made me think they were actually photo's of me. LOL

[Dogmatique]

It is too late to establish paternity per Michigan law.

(You would have had to do that before he turned 18).

[ghendi]

So does that mean my son and his mother don't have any legal right to sue me for child support, since he is 23 now? I just wanna make sure that by me telling the VA that he is my son and proving it to their satisfaction, that should his mother or him for that matter, decide at a later date that I should have paid child support and are now going to sue me, that they just don't have that right. Not to mention, If the mother did that, she maybe opening herself up to Statutory Rape charges in Florida (thats where my son was conceived) because I was still under the age of consent at that time. That point could be argued thought because my mother had signed documents, allowing me to join the military, technically isn't that like signing emancipation? Either way, it sounds to me like this is a non-starter for them, based on paternity law of Michigan. I hope.

[Dogmatique]

I don't see ANY chance at Mom getting child support. Period. Even if. And if there was a petition, you would need to run straight to an attorney and repeat these words:

"Doctrine of Laches".

There is no order in place, and your defense is that she waited an unreasonable period of time before initiating the proceeding.

It's also likely too late to use the stat. rape angle, by the way.

[jk]

Either way, it sounds to me like this is a non-starter for them, based on paternity law of Michigan. I hope.

What's that supposed to mean. You said YOU wanted to have the benefits extended to your illegitimate child.

[ghendi]

Awesome, Thank You. On the Stat rape, I was gonna bring it up if she tried something. Thanks Again.

[Dogmatique]

Awesome, Thank You. On the Stat rape, I was gonna bring it up if she tried something. Thanks Again.

That's really lame.

Seriously.

That's lower than low.

[ghendi]

@ jk...Yeah I actually wan't him to be able to use the benefit, but I didn't wan't to Burn myself by signing anything that said I am his Father, mostly if his mother tried anything, she kept him away from me his entire childhood, so I missed out on all those years with him, years neither of us can get back, that makes her someone I could never trust to do the right thing, I wouldn't put anything past her, much less trying to bleed my poor bank account dry, or try and garnish my small retirement/disability payments. He is my Son, He is my Blood, the only difference is I just didn't know about him until he found me on Facebook last year, and since then we've become fairly close (as far as you can via e-mail and phone), we get to finally meet each other, in real life, at my Mothers house in Florida this November, I'm really excited about it. So illegitimate or not, it doesn't matter, he is my Blood, and our Family is Tight that way.