Best Adoption Lawyers in Reading, PA

Either spouse must be a resident of Pennsylvania for six (6) months prior to filing for a divorce. Residency requirements must be met for the court to accept the case. If the court discovers that it has no jurisdictional authority in the matter then the case will be dismissed.

No. The support law presumes that the payee party (the one receiving the support) is encountering expenses for the child(ren), and that the support payments defray that expense. The court will not inquire or seek proof of basic expenses, and the payee will not be required to produce such. However, with regards to re-imbursement for medical expenses and for the cost of such things as extra-curricular activities: after school sports, camps, music lessons, and even day care, the court will look for, and the payee must be prepared to justify and produce records, for such expenditures on behalf of the child(ren).

Generally, no. Custody is not modified at a support hearing and support is not modified at a custody trial. Also, in Pennsylvania, the support payer must comply with the support order, even if the custodial parent is not complying with the custody order. If there is a problem with custody, the proper avenue is for your attorney to file a custody complaint, petition to modify, or petition for contempt. Similarly, the custodian cannot withhold custody to protest non-payment of support. Non-payment of support can be a peripheral issue in a custody action. However, the primary reasons to pay support remain avoiding support enforcement mechanisms, and more so, the fact that your children need and deserve your financial support.

When a child is born to an unmarried woman in Pennsylvania, there is no legal relationship between the child and the father, unless an Acknowledgment of Paternity form has been signed by both parents, or the paternity has been established by a court order.