child support for 1 that is not mine

[onebat4u]

What is the name of your state? South Carolina
when I met my soon to be Ex wife she had a child that was 3 at the time. he is now 11 he sees me as dad and I see him as son. when we split up I started paying child support and paid for school clothes and 1/2 of medical bills, I was stupid and paid the support with cash, we are now ready for a divorce and I don't know if this will bit me in the butt or not. By law do I have to pay child support this might be a dumb question to ask, but I have been told stories of people who have raised kids and the courts made them pay for child support for kids that were not there’s. I just don't want to have her say that I have not been paying and I don't have any proof. I started this week paying with checks

 

[Silverplum]

What is the name of your state? South Carolina
when I met my soon to be Ex wife she had a child that was 3 at the time. he is now 11 he sees me as dad and I see him as son. when we split up I started paying child support and paid for school clothes and 1/2 of medical bills, I was stupid and paid the support with cash, we are now ready for a divorce and I don't know if this will bit me in the butt or not. By law do I have to pay child support this might be a dumb question to ask, but I have been told stories of people who have raised kids and the courts made them pay for child support for kids that were not there’s. I just don't want to have her say that I have not been paying and I don't have any proof. I started this week paying with checks

Unless you formally adopted the kid, you do not have any financial obligation.

 

[onebat4u]

No I have not adopted him, his bio father would not let me and he has a 1/2 sister who does have something to do with him and was upset when we talked about doing it with out the bio father permission. Thanks for the help

 

[LdiJ]

No I have not adopted him, his bio father would not let me and he has a 1/2 sister who does have something to do with him and was upset when we talked about doing it with out the bio father permission. Thanks for the help

There have been some rare instances where a stepparent has been ordered to pay child support for a stepchild that was not adopted. However, those rare instances have happened when the biological father absolutely is gone and can't be held responsible for child support....and there has been a close relationship between the stepparent and the child worthy of maintaining...and the child has truly relied on the stepparent's support. It's technically possible that it could happen in your case....because some of the elements exist.... but I would think that the odds would be incredibly slim....particularly since it would still be apparently possible to force bio-dad to support his son.

However....on the downside....mom isn't going to give you formal visitation rights if you aren't going to be paying support...that's almost a given....and there is almost no chance that a court would either.

So, if you want to continue to be "dad" to this child, and have formal visitation rights, then I suspect that its going to be necessary for it to be a formal agreement between you and mom, (including child support) and not based on a judge's order. That is a really tough one, because it sounds like you really are dad to the child and really should continue in that role emotionally....but at the same time you don't have a legal obligation to the child...and mom doesn't have a legal obligation to you where the child is concerned.

 

[onebat4u]

I am by no means going to walk out of his life and I know he would not let it happen either.
it just sucks that his mother is doing and had done things to hurt him. And he is stuck in the middle of it all. I am from a divorced family and my mom would get mad at my dad ALOT and she would all ways tell me that Just because she was mad at him I didn't have to be. this one is not like that, she tries to get him in the middle of it all and I don't do that, and so he hears her side of the story where I just tell him that it's between Her and I and that nether one of us is mad at him. she does a really good job of playing the "wounded duck" so most of the time I come out looking bad.