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Petition To Determine Paternity And For Related Relief w-Instructions 12.983(A) - Florida
| Petition To Determine Paternity And For Related Relief w-Instructions Form. This is a Florida form and can be used in Paternity Family Law Statewide . |
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW FORM 12.983(a), PETITION TO DETERMINE PATERNITY AND FOR RELATED RELIEF (10/11) When should this form be used? This form should be used by a birth mother or father to ask the court to establish paternity, a timesharing schedule, and/or child support of a minor child or children. This means that you are trying to legally establish who is the father of the child(ren). This form should be typed or printed in black ink. After completing this form, you should sign the form before a notary public or deputy clerk. You should file the original with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where you live and keep a copy for your records. What should I do next? For your case to proceed, you must properly notify the respondent of the petition. If you know where he or she lives, you should use personal service. If you absolutely do not know where he or she lives, you may use constructive service. However, if constructive service is used, the court may only grant limited relief. You should seek legal advice on constructive service in a paternity case. For more information see chapter 49, Florida Statutes, or you may contact Child Support Enforcement at the Florida Department of Revenue if you need assistance with your case. If personal service is used, the respondent has 20 days to answer after being served with your petition. Your case will then generally proceed in one of the following three ways: DEFAULT... If after 20 days, no answer has been filed, you may file a Motion for Default, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.922(a), with the clerk of court. Then, if you have filed all of the required papers, you may call the clerk, family law intake staff, or judicial assistant to set a final hearing. You must notify the other party of the hearing by using a Notice of Hearing (General), Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.923, or other appropriate notice of hearing form. UNCONTESTED... If the respondent files an answer that agrees with everything in your petition or an answer and waiver, and you have complied with mandatory disclosure and filed all of the required papers, you may call the clerk, family law intake staff, or judicial assistant to set a final hearing. You must notify the other party of the hearing by using a Notice of Hearing (General), Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.923, or other appropriate notice of hearing form. CONTESTED... If the respondent files an answer or an answer and counterpetition, which disagrees with or denies anything in your petition, and you are unable to settle the disputed issues, you should file a Notice for Trial, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.924, after you have complied with mandatory disclosure, completed the scientific paternity testing, if necessary, and filed all of the required papers. Then you should contact the clerk, family law intake staff, or judicial assistant for instructions on how to set your case for trial (final hearing). If the respondent files an answer and Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.983(a), Petition to Determine Paternity and for Related Relief (10/11) American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com counterpetition, you should answer the counterpetition within 20 days using an Answer to Counterpetition, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.983(d). Where can I look for more information? Before proceeding, you should read "General Information for Self-Represented Litigants" found at the beginning of these forms. The words that are in "bold underline" in these instructions are defined there. For further information, see chapter 742, Florida Statutes. Special notes... If you do not have the money to pay the filing fee, you may obtain an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status, fill it out, and the clerk will determine whether you are eligible to have filing fees deferred. More than one child of the same alleged father may be listed on a single petition. However, if you are filing a paternity action involving more than one possible father, a separate petition must be filed for each alleged father. If the respondent files an answer denying that the person named in the petition is the child(ren)'s father, one of you should file a Motion for Scientific Paternity Testing, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.983(e). This is used to ask the court to order a scientific test to determine who is the child(ren)'s father. If the father signed papers at the hospital acknowledging that he was the father, paternity was established as a matter of law. This should be indicated on page 2, section 9a on this form. If the paternity of a child who was conceived or born during a marriage is at issue, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem to assist the court in this matter and to protect the rights of child. With this petition, you must file the following and provide a copy to the other party: Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) Affidavit, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(d). Notice of Social Security Number, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(j). Family Law Financial Affidavit, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(b) or (c). Certificate of Compliance with Mandatory Disclosure, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.932. (This must be filed within 45 days, if not filed with the petition, unless you and the other party have agreed not to exchange these documents.) Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(e). (If you do not know the other party's income, you may file this worksheet after his or her financial affidavit has been filed.) Parenting Plan, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form, 12.995(a), 12.995(b), or 12.995(c). If the parents have reached an agreement, a signed and notarized Parenting Plan should be attached. If the parents have not reached an agreement, a proposed Parenting Plan may be filed. Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.983(a), Petition to Determine Paternity and for Related Relief (10/11) American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com Parenting Plan and Time-Sharing. If the parties are unable to agree on parenting arrangements and a time-sharing schedule, a judge will decide as part of establishing a Parenting Plan. The judge will decide the parenting arrangemen
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