FL man forced to pay child support for someone else's child

[Regit]

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.

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.

He now has DNA results that show the 15-year-old girl wasn't fathered by him. He even has an affidavit from the girl's mother -- a former girlfriend from 1990 -- saying he's "not the father" and asking that Rodriguez no longer be required to pay child support.

Yet the state of Florida is continuing to push him to pay $305 a month to support the girl, as well as the more than $10,000 already owed. He spent a night in jail because of his delinquent payments.

Why is he in such a bind?

He missed the deadline to legally contest paternity. That's because, he says, the paperwork didn't reach him until after the deadline had passed.

Rest of the story at CNN


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Yet another story to help Florida's public image. This would be hilarious if it wasn't true.

[TexasStooge]

Why don't they settle this by going to Maury for a praternity test?

[Ptarmigan]

Why don't they settle this by going to Maury for a praternity test?

Not a bad idea. That's what they always do on Maury anyways. It's worse than Jerry Springer.

[HURAKAN]

In this forum we read a lot of crazy stories, this one is just one more to the bunch.

If everything says it's not his daughter, how in HELL the state wants this man to pay support of someone that is not his child.

This merits suing the state.

[Regit]

Why don't they settle this by going to Maury for a praternity test?

A paternity test has been done. It's not his daughter.

[TreasureIslandFLGal]

Another reminder to me as to why I call many people down here "Floridiots"!!!

[CajunMama]

Each case is different and should be looked at individually. Sometimes the state just can't see that. The state is wrong. He didn't get the paperwork on time? Is that the states fault? If so then Rodriguez shouldn't have to pay a dime. I also feel that the mother should be forced to repay Rodriguez all monies he paid plus interest.

[MGC]

The state would have to lock me up cause I would not pay support to a child that is not mine....MGC

[BUD]

He needs to move to another state to fight this.

[Aslkahuna]

That will not do any good because FL can then go to the other state and have THEM collect the money. The various states have agreements that allow this. He's stuck because the state will not give an inch on this and will attach his wages if necessary.

Steve

[TexasStooge]

Paying child support for a child that's not even yours. That doesn't make any sense.

[DanKellFla]

The really sad part, is that this story is far from unique. My wife has a co-worker who is paying child support for a child that is not his. His first wife cheated on him, and got pregnant as a result. He thought the baby was his until the baby started to really look like a friend of theres. He went and checked, determined the baby wasn't his, but it was too late to dispute the paternity. He was stuck.

[coriolis]

(getting up on soapbox)

The article describes the different sides of the story pretty well. I'll go out on a limb and guess that he hasn't been a model citizen all his life because "he moved alot" and may have tried to cover his footprints if the paperwork couldn't find him. That's an unsubstantiated guess.

As I was growing up, it was accepted that if you get a girl pregnant, you will be responsible. Now I know that it turns out that this baby wasn't his, but I grew up with an ethic about being careful "where you put it." (if you know what I mean). If this woman simply lied about him being the father, then it reflects badly on her character. If this woman wasn't sure who was the father, then that reflects badly on her character in another way. (if you know what I mean.) I guess he wasn't a good judge of character, or else he just didn't care. It's also possible that he was a heel in their relationship and she was trying to get him back.

Life is all about choices and consequences. Often times the consequences aren't at parity with the actions. Sometimes people get away with bad choices, sometimes the consequences are way out of proportion to the actions. It's a crapshoot, but those who frequently press their luck often run out of luck. For every man falsely named as the father, there's probably 100 single mothers who are struggling because the father took off. Life isn't fair.

There's something to be said for "family values." Again, I'm going way out on a limb, but had they both stayed to the straight and narrow, he probably wouldn't be in this pickle now.

Maybe its time for paternity tests to be mandatory for all newborns. It's just another case of the government having to step in and regulate people because people won't regulate themselves. The problem is, that you can't make good laws when people will do bad things.

So is "sexual freedom" really freedom? It seems like this freedom causes a lot of problems.

[O Town]

Well said Ed, well said!!!

[Terrell]

He shouldn't have to pay for a child that is not his, the state should get up off of him, and go after the real father. I don't think that paternity testing should be mandatory for all births, but I do think it should be mandatory before the state can issue a child support order.

[BUD]

That will not do any good because FL can then go to the other state and have THEM collect the money. The various states have agreements that allow this. He's stuck because the state will not give an inch on this and will attach his wages if necessary.

Steve

Well,there are states that use the test as proof.If the test saids no then he pays nothing.

[Regit]

That will not do any good because FL can then go to the other state and have THEM collect the money. The various states have agreements that allow this. He's stuck because the state will not give an inch on this and will attach his wages if necessary.

Steve

Well,there are states that use the test as proof.If the test saids no then he pays nothing.

Florida would still have jurisdiction. To totally escape without going through Florida's system, he'd have to leave the country.

[Aslkahuna]

Still wouldn't work completely as some Countries will enforce stateside support orders.

Steve

[Regit]

Still wouldn't work completely as some Countries will enforce stateside support orders.

Steve

Only a few. Just move to France.

[Category 5]

After all the stupid government related stories I've read, this one doesn't suprise me.