Parents always have responsibilities to their children, and they can extend into a child’s adulthood as well. However, while they are below the age of 18, children are also subject to parents’ rights. These include time to raise and spend time with them, as well as decisions about important issues like education and health care.
Divorce can complicate these rights under Nebraska law as it often does in other states as well. Parents can find themselves having to argue for time with and authority over children in court. This may also be true if a man believes he is the father of a child and sues over paternity claims.
Legal guardians of a child, which may include one biological parent, may agree to recognize a man with a claim as a biological parent. The legal process in Nebraska is called a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity. It is usually finalized by signatures before a notary public and a filing that adds the man’s name to the child’s birth certificate.
Recognized fathers have several rights in a child’s life. They may also collect child support if they are responsible for expenses related to their care. It also may give a biological father peace of mind that was previously lacking because of a lack of rights to make decisions in how a son or daughter is raised.
A man looking to assert his rights as a father may consult with an attorney on the best way to request an acknowledgement or ask a court to order a test. A lawyer may also consider other approaches to fathers’ rights cases.