Celebrity paternity stories garner headlines not only because of the unseen drama that is brought to the forefront, it exposes a side of a celebrity’s life that they often try to keep private (namely their indiscretions).
Nevertheless, paternity stories bring about important legal issues regarding custody rights, parenting time and child support. Essentially, once it is established that a biological relationship exists between a father and child, the state may seek to impose a child support obligation. The father may sued in court so that an order may be established that commands him to pay child support.
Such was the case with rapper Flo-Rida, who is known for hit songs such as “Good Feeling”, “Elevator” and “Low”. He was recently ordered to pay child support for a child he had denied fathering. According to TMZ.com, the Florida Department of Revenue filed a petition to request income information from the rapper, whose real name is Tamar Dillard as part of a child support action from Gloria Holloway, the child’s mother.
Dillard has previously denied fathering the child, and claims that he took a paternity test earlier this year showing that he was ruled out as a possible father. However, Holloway’s lawyer disputes that Dillard actually took the test. Also, a Florida family court has already determined paternity.
In Texas, there is a certain time limit for putative fathers to dispute paternity claims. If no challenge is raised, the court may impose an order by default. If you have been served with a paternity complaint, it is important to discuss it with an experienced family law attorney instead of ignoring it.
Source: TheDenverChannel.com, Flo-Rida must pay up in paternity battle, June 26, 2013
