[amyjo]

My question involves paternity law for the State of: Florida

Long story short....my sons ex-girlfriend got pregnant. They were both in Tampa in college and she had a hard time with the pregnancy. Trying to do the right thing, she came to live with us. I bought everything for the baby. Made sure she took care of herself. And fell in love with this baby. My husband and I went through the pregnancy with her, we were there along with my son when the baby was born and my son signed the birth certificate and paternity papers. Well, as months went by, my son questioned whether he was the father of the baby. The ex-girlfriend moved out of our home when the baby was six months old. A short while after, my son did an "over-the-counter" DNA test. I didn't even know they existed. It came back that the baby wasn't his. This has been absolutely devastating. Does anyone know if these are reliable? Since then, my son has had nothing to do with the baby. If this test is not reliable, he has missed several months of the baby's life. What does he do? While I want to protect my son, I love this baby. He needs us. She has no family to speak of. We are all this baby has. Can my son disestablish paternity? How does he request a formal DNA test. Has he waited too long, the baby is 10 months old now. This should be a happy time. I just feel so so bad for this baby, starting life out this way. Anyone, please advise.

[aardvarc]

Your son needs to consult with a family law attorney (most give an initial consultation for free or at least cheap) and file a formal request with the court for paternity testing. He'll need to get another, FORMAL, test, since the do-it-yourself versions aren't acceptable in court (they're better than nothing for the sake of curiousity, but there needs to be quality control by experts who conduct the tests). Once he knows for sure one way or the other, he can make decisions going forward.