Unmarried Parents Of An Infant

Our office receives many inquiries pertaining to the rights of a child born out of wedlock. Usually, the couple is fighting over a baby, and the question becomes “Who has legal custody of the child?”. The answer lies at sec. 767.82 of the Wisconsin Statutes, (2m), and reads as follows.

“CUSTODY PENDING COURT ORDER. If there is no presumption of paternity under s. 891.41 (1) or if paternity is acknowledged under s. 767.805 (1), the mother shall have sole legal custody of the child until the court orders otherwise.” Under sec. 48.435 of the Wisconsin Statutes, CUSTODY OF CHILDREN, states,” The mother of a non-marital child has legal custody of the child unless the court grants legal custody to another person or transfers legal custody to an agency.” This means that the alleged father has absolutely no rights to the child born out of wedlock pertaining to custody or placement, until a court hearing is held to determine their rights.

There are two ways in Wisconsin that paternity can be established: (1) by both parties signing a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity in writing or (2) by one of the parties filing a formal paternity action in court to have the alleged father adjudicated as being the biological father. This is usually done as well by having DNA testing of the parties and the baby.

Once paternity is established, the court will hold a “terms hearing.” At this hearing, the court will deal with the issues of custody, placement, visitation, child support, collecting retroactive child support, health insurance, payment of future unpaid medical bills for the child, past medical bills, birthing expenses, income tax dependency exemption, and any other issues that are unique to the case or deal with the financial end of things. Until that “terms hearing” and the court enters an order as to custody and placement, under 767.82 (2m) and sec. 48.435 Stats., the mother is in the driver’s seat.

Since there is an abundance of these types of cases, a person is well advised to consider hiring private counsel for filing a paternity action in court and having their attorney appear at all hearings in the matter, so that their legal rights can be properly protected. For unmarried parents in Dane County and surrounding areas who need help establishing custody or parenting time, consulting a Madison child custody lawyer experienced in paternity and parental rights can provide guidance throughout the process.

If you have questions about a paternity case in Wisconsin, contact our attorneys.