Paternity In Texas
Paternity can be established either jointly or separately from an order to seek child support. In some cases paternity testing is done in conjunction with other court hearings. For example, during a divorce hearing it may be necessary to establish child paternity. In paternity testing situations such as these it may be necessary for the child to have their own legal representation in the form of a Guardian Ad Litem.
When paternity testing is done in a legal forum certain parties must be named. The child, the child’s mother and the alleged father must be identified in the action. Any of the named parties can request a paternity test. The paternity test can be done through tissue or blood sample. However, in court the test must be done by a qualified professional in order for the results to be admissible.
In the event that the test excludes the named father as the biological father of the child, the court will accept this as concrete proof that person is not the father. If the paternity test concludes that there is a possibility the named father may be the biological father, but it is not conclusive the issue must be investigated further.
To establish paternity the court needs firm evidence that the named father is in fact the biological father. This evidence is gathered through testimony, paternity testing and the details surrounding the child’s conception. Once the court deems they have sufficient evidence proving a child’s paternity, paternity is then legally established.