paternity suit
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A paternity suit is a legal case brought to a court to officially determine whether a specific man is the biological father of a child. The primary purpose of this lawsuit is to establish legal paternity, which then creates obligations such as child support and may grant rights like custody or visitation.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- She filed a paternity suit to secure financial support for her child.
- The celebrity was involved in a high-profile paternity suit that was widely reported in the news.
- The court ordered DNA testing as part of the paternity suit.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in formal, legal, and journalistic contexts. While the core meaning involves establishing fatherhood for a child "born out of wedlock," the legal action can be relevant in various situations where paternity is disputed or needs formal recognition.
Variants and Related Words
- Paternity case (n): A synonymous term for a paternity suit.
- Paternity test (n): A scientific test, often using DNA, used to determine biological fatherhood, which is a key piece of evidence in a paternity suit.
- Filiation proceeding (n): A more formal legal term for a case to determine parentage.
Synonyms
- Filiation suit
- Parentage action
Related Phrases
- To file/bring a paternity suit: The action of initiating the legal case.
- The mother decided to file a paternity suit.
- To be named in a paternity suit: To be identified as the alleged father in the lawsuit.
- He was shocked to be named in a paternity suit.
Related Idioms
- To establish paternity: This is the legal goal of a paternity suit.
- The paternity suit was necessary to establish paternity and a child support order.
Noun
- a lawsuit filed to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock (and to provide for the support of the child once paternity is determined)