The family law process is designed to help families through the child support process and to address child support concerns. A man is being required by Michigan authorities to pay $30,000 in back child support for a child the man claims is not his and argues that a DNA test and his former girlfriend, the child's mother, agrees with him. The man argues that a DNA test years following the child's 1987 birth established that he is not the child's father. The child support and paternity case began in the 1980s when the former girlfriend provided the man's name to a case worker to receive help for the baby. The former girlfriend noted that the amount the state is seeking from the man for back child support has been reduced by half.
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When child support is ordered in Michigan, it is generally paid by the noncustodial parent. When custody is shared, the parent with more income is often ordered to pay support. Once child custody is decided, the court applies child support guidelines to decide how much the obligated parent will pay. The guidelines take into account the financial status of both parents and the needs of the child. The goal of child support is not to put a party in dire straits financially but to support the child's needs.
