The state of Illinois presumes that a husband of a mother who gives birth is the baby’s father. However, if the mother is unmarried, there is no presumption of paternity so paternity must be established to ensure the financial support of the child. Sometimes unmarried parents will enter into an informal child support agreement. However,…Read More
Establishing Paternity
A biological mother or someone who believes they are the parent to a child may also establish parentage in court by filing a petition. At the hearing, the petitioner will testify before the judge and genetic testing will be ordered. If genetic testing proves parentage, child support will be ordered. Failure to respond to an…Read More
Fathers’ Rights in Custody and Adoption Cases in Illinois
In our last post, we discussed how Lamar Sally, the husband of The View co-host Sherri Shepherd, has asked for full legal and physical custody of the couple’s unborn baby boy, who will be arriving in July via surrogacy. As we discussed, when deciding custody matters, courts are beginning to recognize that both parents —…Read More
Custody rights still a fight for many fathers
In our last post, we discussed how fathers in Illinois and elsewhere now have more rights in custody cases. They also have a greater number of legal options available when trying to establish paternity, seek visitation rights or fight an adoption. However, while today’s dads fare much better than dads from decades ago, fathers’ rights…Read More
Sherri Shepherd’s ex seeks custody of unborn child
Divorce and separation don’t always occur at the most convenient times for families. For example, it was recently reported that Sherri Shepherd, a co-host of The View, is splitting from her husband of almost three years while the couple has a baby on the way through a surrogate. When an unborn child is part of…Read More
Olympic athlete’s custody battle raises troubling issues
Many Chicago viewers were captivated by the Winter Olympics this month, and turned to print and online articles to read all about the life stories of their favorite athletes. If so, they may have been surprised to come across one story about an Olympic athlete that raises troubling issues about parental rights. Bode Miller, the…Read More
Documentary discusses problems regarding child custody disputes
A recent documentary filmed entitled “Romeo Misses a Payment” takes a look at a possible problem with the way child custody lawsuits are managed in the United States. It in particular focuses in on low-income groups. The maker of the film appears to be under the impression that the child custody courts perpetuate the “one…Read More
The legal options of fathers when it comes to family law matters
Many Illinois men are understandably upset about the notion that fathers are less connected to their children than mothers. Still, there are not many programs in place to assist single fathers. There is also little public support for father’s having equal access to their children in the family law court system. It can sometimes seem…Read More
Should father lose visitation for refusing to feed son fast food?
Under Illinois law, fathers have just as much of a right as mothers do to be involved in the lives of their children. However, fathers do often have to fight for court-ordered visitation when a mother tries to deny a father parenting time. In some cases, this can be an uphill battle, and it can…Read More
