Although most people can’t fathom how a man can leave a wife and children and never look back, it does happen sometimes. A father may wonder whether he can avoid paying child support if he signs away his parental rights to the children. The Divorce Lawyer in Hillsboro MO representing this person can approach the wife’s attorney with the request. Whether or not that request is accepted likely depends on several factors.
Financial Considerations
First, the family court may not even allow this unless the mother earns substantially more money than the father does. Even when the mother is willing to allow the father to relinquish his rights, judges are not inclined to let people skip out on their obligations this way.
Domestic Abuse
The lawyer for that client may try to persuade the judge by confirming the woman does not want any contact from the man in the future. Perhaps he was abusive, and maybe there are police records to verify this.
Testimony From the Children
If the children are considered old enough to have the maturity to offer a reasonable opinion, they may be allowed to speak to a judge about the matter. They may not have seen the father in years and may only remember him as being verbally or physically abusive.
Adoption
The main reason a judge allows the termination of parental rights is when another person is stepping in to adopt the children. The divorce is final and the parent with custody of the children remarries. The new spouse wants to adopt the stepchildren, making them legally his or her own kids with a full obligation to support them.
Concluding Thoughts
This scenario can happen in the opposite way as well, with a Divorce Lawyer in Hillsboro MO representing a mother who wants to relinquish her maternal rights. Similar restrictions on the process apply.
Anyone who is dealing with these kinds of situations may contact an organization like Wegmann Law Firm for assistance. Skilled legal counsel is essential when someone is considering this very large step of giving up parental rights or allowing the other parent to relinquish those obligations. Visit our Google+ page for more details.
