I just have a question. I just received a phone call from a young lady
I knew over 20 years ago; she tells me that her 20 year old daughter
is my child. I am about to retire from the military, I have not heard
or seen this woman sense high school. I am not sure what she wants, I
am not claiming a child I don't know, and the sad part is, I don?t
remember even sleeping with this woman 20 years ago. I am married for
16 years now with high school kids. I feel that this woman wants money
and her child, but I am not going to play this game, do I have rights?
Can someone come to you 20years later and say ?hey I want 18 years of
child support for a child you don?t know? If you have answers or
direction for me, please let me know. The military only can help me so
much, I just want an answer. Thanks

CJ

First of all, if she is after money, a DNA test would be needed first
of all. There would be a chance for you to pay retroactive child
support. Retroactive child support refers to child support which you
may have an obligation to pay at some point but have not yet been
ordered to pay. In your case, your child support obligation could
begin at the time of the child?s birth.

   However, it is uncommon for retroactive child support to be
ordered. Child support could be ordered as far back as the date the
child was born, plus prenatal and postnatal expenses not covered by
insurance. However, the court will usually limit the amount of
retroactive child support to an amount that does not exceed four years
of support.

This is bizarre.

Maybe this woman doesn't know who the father is and that she thinks
it's a good idea to test you out.

A DNA Test should certainly resolve this issue to your satisfaction so
this should be your first step.

Maybe you should also ask her to pay for the test? This might put her off.

I bet you're the guy that gets the fortune cookie that says, "You will
live in interesting times".

It would probably be worth getting a family law attorney, and have all
contact made through him.  If it's a hoax, the attorney will squelch
her.  If it's not, he will protect your liability, by keeping you from
saying something stupid that could be used against you. He will demand
a DNA test, and proof that she has attempted to find you for the last
20 years to start with.

On a more personal note, this sort of thing can be very disruptive to
your family.  If you haven't already, discuss it with your wife, and
try to keep it from your children until you know the truth.  Sooner or
later, your wife will know, and if it's later, you've given her a
reason to not trust you.  Your kids will feel like there is a
competition for your affection and they will not really understand why
you don't want her and be afraid that you might not want them.  They
don't need to know until a time that the young woman might be
introduced into their lives.  If they already know, be diligent in
reassuring them that they are loved during this time.

Best wishes to you.

For starters, get a Birth Certificate for the young woman.

That might be interesting and it is certainly worth the small cost.

You never know what you might find from going back to prime sources.

Good Luck!

If she did not immediately tell you what she wants, I wouldn't worry
until she contacts you again and does so.  Tell your wife  - and maybe
your children -  in case they answer a call from her.  I guess you
could do some research on her, but until she makes some claim, I
wouldn't go to the trouble.

If no one was declared to be the father, then a b/c will not list a
father. If a father is listed, that makes it tough to get you for
money. However, you may need a lawyer to get the b/c, you can't just
get anyone's b/c in most states.

Yes, if she pushes, DNA test is the MINIMUM you need to do.