Miami family law attorney blog
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Miami disestablishment of paternity
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
When child support proceeding is filed through the Department of Revenue. and a father wants to challenge paternity, can he respond to the petition by requesting DNA testing? If paternity has already been acknowledged by the father, he is not likely to be successful in challenging paternity in this manner. This was an issue in the case DOR v. Gardner, 5D2025-0244 (Fla. 5th DCA July 3, 2025).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
In Florida, to disestablish paternity, one requirement is that a male present newly discovered evidence relating to the paternity of a child. If a male had a vasectomy before the child was conceived and was convinced by the mother of the child that vasectomies do not guarantee sterility - does this mean he cannot argue there was “newly discovered evidence” related to the paternity of the child if it is later determined through testing that the male is not the biological father of the child? This was an issue in the case Cuevas v. Cuevas, 5D2024-2832 (Fla. 5th DCA July 3, 2025).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
A DNA test can prove that a man is not the biological father of a child, but this will not necessarily cancel his status as the legal father of the child. Biological connection alone is not the determining factor of whether a man is declared the legal father of a child in Florida. This was an issue in the case Bauer v. Carlson, et. al., 5D2024-0447 (Fla. 5th DCA April 4, 2025).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
If a man listed on a birth certificate in Florida, and later DNA testing confirms he is not the biological father, is he automatically removed from the birth certificate? The short answer is no, because biology alone does not determine legal paternity in Florida. This was an issue in the case Bronner v. Longden, 4D2024-0638 (Fla. 4th DCA December 18, 2024).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
Florida Statute 742.10 provides the circumstances under which paternity can be established:
Except as provided in chapters 39 and 63, this chapter provides the primary jurisdiction and procedures for the determination of paternity for children born out of wedlock. If the establishment of paternity has been raised and determined within an adjudicatory hearing brought under the statutes governing inheritance, or dependency under workers’ compensation or similar compensation programs; if an affidavit acknowledging paternity or a stipulation of paternity is executed by both parties and filed with the clerk of the court; if an affidavit, a notarized voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, or a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity that is witnessed by two individuals and signed under penalty of perjury as provided for in s. 382.013 or s. 382.016 is executed by both parties; or if paternity is adjudicated by the Department of Revenue as provided in s. 409.256, such adjudication, affidavit, or acknowledgment constitutes the establishment of paternity for purposes of this chapter. If an adjudicatory proceeding was not held, a notarized voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, which is witnessed by two individuals and signed under penalty of perjury as specified by s. 92.525(2), creates a rebuttable presumption, as defined by s. 90.304, of paternity and is subject to the right of any signatory to rescind the acknowledgment within 60 days after the date the acknowledgment was signed or the date of an administrative or judicial proceeding relating to the child, including a proceeding to establish a support order, in which the signatory is a party, whichever is earlier. Both parents must provide their social security numbers on any acknowledgment of paternity, consent affidavit, or stipulation of paternity.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
Once paternity of a child is established, there are limited circumstances under which paternity can be disestablished. Florida generally recognizes out-of-state orders establishing paternity. Disestablishment of paternity was an issue in the case Gragg-Rivera v. Gragg, 5D2023-1566 (Fla. 5th DCA July 12, 2024).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Child Custody
A recent appellate case seems to test many parts of Florida paternity laws where a man who believed he was the biological father of a child born outside of wedlock was proven wrong on both fronts. The case is Orosco v. Rodriguez, 6D23-1415 (Fla. 6th DCA December 15, 2023).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
Can a father request a DNA test at any time in Florida? The simple answer is no. Once a father acknowledges paternity by affidavit and he does not rescind that acknowledgement within 60 days, his paternity is confirmed and can only be challenged on grounds of fraud, duress or material mistake of fact. This was an issue in the case Dept. of Rev. o/b/o Zelaya v. Trochez, 3D22-0795 (Fla. 3d DCA August 3, 2022).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
Establishing legal paternity of a child in Florida is not based on DNA testing alone. A child may be raised by a parent who is on the birth certificate, but is not biologically related to the child. Disestablishment and establishment of paternity was an issue in the case Castillo v. Rodriguez, 3D20-681 (Fla. 3d DCA December 22, 2021).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
For a male wishing to disestablish his paternity in Florida, time is of the essence. The law places the burden on a man who knows he is not the father of a child to take certain steps to preserve his argument that he should not be legally responsible for the child. The case DOR v. Augustin, 237 So.3d 1123 (Fla. 3d DCA 2018) shows us what steps must be followed in order to disestablish paternity in Florida.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Paternity
Disestablishing paternity in Florida requires careful and timely steps to be taken to ensure that a non-biological father is no longer legally responsible for a child. It is not enough to have a test confirming that a male is not biologically related to a child as we see in the case Fla. Dept. of Revenue v. Augustin, 3D16-622 (Fla. 3d DCA2018).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Child Support
When a man believes he is not the father of a child for whom he is paying child support, can he request DNA testing? The answer depends, among other factors, on why he is requesting the test and what steps he's taken after finding out that he is not the biological father. In the case Meeker v. Meeker, 214 So.3d 766 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017), we review a trial court's decision to order a DNA test in a proceeding to enforce an out-of-state child support order.
