How is paternity determined? | Phoenix Paternity Attorney & Fathers’ Rights Lawyer
July 12, 2015

Paternity is most commonly determined in Arizona by the father either acknowledging paternity in a sworn affidavit or by obtaining a court order. In order to obtain a court order, the father must admit that he is the father or be found to be the father based on genetic testing. In some states, before the father admits paternity in court, he must be informed of his right to genetic testing and be told of the consequences of making that legal admission. Unfortunately, Arizona has no such requirement; hence, many men simply “trust” the mother of the child as to who really is the father and commit themselves to a lifetime financial and emotional commitment without really knowing for sure whether they are the true biological father. We advise all our male clients in Arizona to obtain a DNA test prior to admitting to being the father, because nobody (sometimes not even the mother) can know for sure who the father is if the mother had sexual relations with another man during the same general time period. It is better demand a test and perhaps feel embarrassed in the short run (if you learn that you were duped) in order to avoid the very costly consequences in the long run (years of having to pay support for some other guy’s child, under the constant threat of incarceration if payments are not made). Conversely, if the test shows that you are the biological father, you will feel that much more secure about your status.