Florida man owes $10,000 for child who's not his

cnn.com ^ | 7/12/07 | cnn

[GeorgiaDawg32]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Francisco Rodriguez owes more than $10,000 in back child support payments in a paternity case involving a 15-year-old girl who, according to DNA results and the girl's mother, is not his daughter.

Francisco Rodriguez is fighting for leniency in his paternity case. "It's not right. I'm not the father, " he said.

Rodriguez, who is married with two daughters and a son from his wife's previous marriage, is fighting for leniency. "It's not right. I'm not the father, " he said at a recent court hearing.

He says he knew nothing about the other girl until paperwork showed up about four years ago saying he was the father.

[econjack]

Flori-duh is trying to recoup its loss by going after this guy.

Naw...that would imply the FL gives a damn about our money.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Again I say, the law is a ass.

[bboop]

I thought that too — very very cold.

[bboop]

IF the county were held responsible for paying back payments that were not proven DNA-linked, you can bet they’d be more careful. Sounds like they are full-steam ahead with no consequences.

[Little Ray]

Wrong.
He’s apparently acknowledged the child as his for a long time. His responsibility doesn’t change just because of a divorce and a paternity test. He need to check to when the child was born.
And just think of what this is doing to the girl...

[kjhm]

In order for a mother to get government assistance she has to name a man as the father. That is the LAW. It does not matter if in some cases she does not know who the father, a name is REQUIRED. It is the child support laws that need to be changed in this country. And not all cases of paternity fraud are welfare cases.

[Clam Digger]

This happens all the time. Gil Garcetti, of California is a master of screwing guys into paying for kids that are not theirs, and they have never even met the mom or kid, they just had similar names and didn’t fight the court in a timely fashion.

[CPOSharky]

Back in the day...

Almost every divorced guy I knew was paying mandated child support.

Almost every divorced woman I knew was not receiving mandated child support.

[magslinger]

Naw...that would imply the FL gives a damn about our money.

It's not our money. It's the Government's. The Government giveth and the Government taketh away. If you went to journalism school you would know this stuff. /Mallard Fillmore mode.

[tioga]

Ah, so the government is the instigator, holding up free money if she name someone. Sick system we have.

[JamesP81]

Being a man is outlawed in this nation.

[joylyn]

I agree. Two very different situations are described in this article. It’s outrageous that Mr. Rodriguez has to pay anything at all. The second guy was apparently married to the girl’s mother and the child knew him from birth as her father. Maybe he should be able to sue the biological dad and recover what he paid, but to cut the girl out of his life is cold, cold, cold.

[JamesP81]

Wow, that was cold.

What you're describing is a different situation. What you're talking about is a situation where the man was her father, even if she wasn't his 'biological' daughter. If you willingly assume the role of parent that makes things different than if an ex is trying to hang a support payment on you for a child that's not yours that you don't have a relationship with.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Folks, “It Takes a Village...””

And apparently the village idiot made the decision to have this guy pay.

[SoCal Pubbie]

When my sister was in law school, she read such a case to me from a book. It was twenty years ago. If you enter into an agreement to pay child support based on a belief that the child is yours, you have to pay even if it turns out you’re not the father. If it can be shown that the mother deliberately deceived you, that might make a difference but if both parties thought you were the dad you’re stuck.

[kjhm]

It is very interesting how our tax dollars are being spent preventing poverty for women and children. Noble Ideas but not always carried out with good results. The welfare and child support laws come under Social Security Laws. States earn your tax dollars by collecting child support. Incentive payments to states for collecting child support can be a good source of income for states. And with very little work, since most child support is paid through wage garnishment. The largest part of that from fathers and mothers who have never been on welfare.

[org.whodat]

Any woman who passes off a child to the wrong father has some problems to begin with.

I would bet that it is shocking number of times it actually happens.

[org.whodat]

....let the mother identify the man,

Remember the young girl that made national news when she was on springer, she had eight men checked and non of them was the father, I think it was a second are third child. Don't know if she knows where they are coming from yet.

[ozarkgirl]

I know a guy who has two children. He’s sure the first is his (looks like him). He found out later his wife screwed around on him his entire marriage, always had serious doubts the girl was his. He paid child support all the years despite believing she wasn’t his child. I said “you could get a DNA test”, he said he’d thought about it but no, she’s been his daughter since birth and he wouldn’t want to know if she’s not his. As far as he’s concerned, she is.