Paternity and Visitation

[farmgirl931]

I'm trying to help out a friend of ours. Here is situation. His girlfriend had twins. She had them in NC, but they are from TN. His girlfiend and him have been on again off again, but now is mad so she won't let him see the girls. They are 9 months old now. I told him he needs to get some sort of legal order. Now when his girlfriend had the girls she did NOT put his name on the birth certificates. He has no money to hire a lawyer, and I don't have any to lend. Any advice would be helpful. I know both and they both are immature as he is 18 and she is 20, but holding the girls hostage because she's mad is not right. They had been living together in TN after the girls were born and he's been a part of their life til recently. To just up and x him out of the girls lives is not fair to the girls. There will be a few issues with trying to serve her papers. She has no permant address, she's been jumping house to house, but she is or at least was currently working and we know where that is. He is currently living with my Husband and I, and is job hunting. What does he need to do to get visitation rights legally? (In my opinion it won't be long before she gets tired of taking care of both of them and wants him to take one for the weekend so she gets a break, but either way I think he still needs something put down legally so this don't keep happening.)

 

[Duranie]

He needs to go down to the court and establish paternity first, and file for visitation. Was he not present at their birth to sign the birth paperwork? what state is he in now? He needs to do some googling, "establishing paternity in (your state)". Most attorneys offer free consultations, he should see one for some guidance. But if paternity is not establishd he has no rights.

 

[farmgirl931]

He was not allowed to be present at birth per her Mother. He tried. He would have stayed in NC but he had no money or anywhere to stay, and knew no one out there. So he came back to TN. About 3 weeks later he went up to see them and broght them all back to TN. If the kids were born in NC, and he resides in TN can he establish Paternity in TN?