A Florida man is on the hook for monthly child support payments for a 15-year-old girl, even though he isn't her father.
Despite a DNA test proving he isn't the father, authorities say Francisco Rodriguez of Fort Lauderdale is responsible for making the court-ordered $305 payments every month because he missed a deadline to contest paternity.
Rodriguez contends the paperwork he needed to file the challenge showed up after the deadline, CNN reported Thursday. However, the state says Rodriguez blew off repeated notices to appear and is more than $10,000 in arrears.
He has also spent a night in jail because of the situation.
Parental rights advocates say the situation is an example of a flawed child-support system in which mothers can claim someone is the father of their child and obtain a court order for support with only a minimum of proof of paternity.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
