Parantage Cases

It is not at all unusual for people to have children without marrying. California law treats children of a marriage or a non-marital relationship the same way. Custody/visitation are set the same way (once a person is determined to be father), and child support is set the same way.

However, a judge may allow less inquiry into a non-married parent’s finances than would occur within the context of a divorce.

Divorce records in California are public, and they are often on line; this is a convenience for litigants who can check their cases on line. However, unmarried parents’ records are confidential, and those files are considerably more difficult to access