New fiance' & paternity

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2004
New fiance' & paternity
2
Sun, 04-22-2007 - 3:16am

My fiance' has three children from a quick divorce prior to me. No, he did not aquire a lawyer during the divorce because he was caught off guard by the divorce (yes, it was due to adultry). He thought that he couldn't afford one (well, now knows that he couldn't afford not too have one). In Arkansas, if the children were born while he and his ex were married then no matter what he's "legally" the father because he didn't have a lawyer and didn't dispute it within 30 or 60 days of the divorce.

No Arkansas lawyer wants the case now that he can semi-afford it even though, when he had a $250 consultation a couple of weeks after the divorce the lawyer he has misled him to think that the things that he wanted couldn't be attained but now were finding out that something could have been done at that time if he wouldn't have waited (their communication lines must have been awful or the lawyer had no clue). Now, he's fighting for visitation, paying child support (daycare), medical expenses, and praying that a petition of paternity to the court later on will help (basically $8000 later) if the children aren't his.

Any advise for me? I feel hopeless and stuck. It's out of my hands because I am really not legally involved but it is effecting my life so much to where I am becoming frustrated. I have never been married nor do I have any children.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-05-2007
Sun, 04-22-2007 - 7:17pm

Welcome to the board skgarrett,


It's really hard to watch someone you love go through what he's going through.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2004
Sun, 04-22-2007 - 11:26pm

Thank you for the advise.

I have already suggested that and have scheduled the Magellan services from my Employee Assistance Program at work because I have let it affect me at work and I am afraid of being fired due to the fact that I am new to the agency.

For some reason it is hard for him to grasp that the counseling with help, so getting him to attend with me is hard.