unwed American mother, Italian father

[jrcdreo]

I was living with my ex boyfriend in Italy. We were in a big fight and he slapped me for the first time. I did not photograph the bruise on my face, but his sister saw it. He claims I am mentally unstable and that i provoked him to slap me. A few days later I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to leave and did so without telling him for fear of my safety. I am back in California now.

is it best to name him on the birth certificate? what are his parental rights? can I claim custody? can i request financial support from him?

I want to be fair, but I want to prevent him from any chances of gaining full custody of the child.

thank you.

 

[Duranie]

You probably cannot name him on the BC without a paternity test. He will need to sign the acknowledgement of paternity. Unlikely he will get custody and it is up to you on whether or not you will have any luck getting any $$ out of him. If Italy is party to the Hague convention, you might be able to get a US order for child support but honestly, I would plan on raising the baby without his help. It will be very hard to get this order enforced anyways.