Protecting Your Rights After Being Served

If you've been served with a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship (FL-200), you generally have 30 days to file a response. The response is usually filed on form FL-220, Response to Petition to Establish Parental Relationship.

In your response, you can:

•       Admit or deny parentage

•       Ask for genetic testing if parentage is in question

•       Make your own requests for custody, visitation and support

If you don't respond in time, the other parent can ask for a default judgment. That means the court can decide parentage, custody and support without hearing from you.

I often talk with parents who ignored the papers because they assumed nothing would happen, or because they thought they couldn't afford to deal with it. Responding on time keeps your options open, even if you agree you're the parent.

If you want a relationship with your child, the response is also your chance to ask for custody and visitation from the start, rather than having to file a separate request later.

Related reading: [how to establish paternity in California](link to Post 5).

If you've been served with a paternity petition, call me at 877-4CA-FCLS (877-422-3257) for a free consultation.