Birth certificate

[KNICKG]

NJ

Need legal advice here have been seperated from wife for almost 2 years in the meantime i had a brief (very brief) fling with another woman, who got pregnant and concieved a child about a year ago. She contacted me about 6 months into the pregnancy and told me about it. Now she has not dragged me into court or really pressured me too much. I send her money on a monthly basis, she knows that I have 2 chiildren from my marriage that I pay support for. The two things that she really is getting on me is about being on the birth certificate, she claims the child cannot get a social sercurity number without it and getting the child on my health insurance. Now i don't have a problem with the health insuarance, but do I really have to be on the birth certificate and if I refuse can she take me to court to have me placed on it involuntarily? Basically what can I do here?

You CAN do anything you wish. And she can file for custody, support AND the right to put you through a DNA test to establish paternity which will give the baby the right to have you listed on the birth certificate.

What you do is up to you.

By the way, you won't be able to put the child on your insurance UNTIL you can prove the child is your dependent, and without a birth certificate or finding of paternity, that isn't going to happen.

Kind of a rock and a hard place huh?

I have recently been on the other side of this situation....the child does not have to have a father listed on the birth certificate to get a ssn...but all the mother has to do is take you to court to establish paternity and they automatically file for a new birth certificate

[shawna maples]

it would be in your best interest to seek to establish paternity yourself. Also to decide what part you want to have in the childs life(shared custody, visitation..) unless you want the judge or the mother to decide what you will or will not have and how much support you will pay. I hope your saving receipts for the support your providing. I would think the child does already have a SS #. By you signing the bc or an affidavit acknowledging paternity the mother would then be able to seek parent-child orders and court ordered child support without her having to seek a paternity test first. a birth ceritificate is not always automatically changed once paternity is established it would be on you or/and the mother to make sure that change takes place.