Is it possible that you could be ordered to pay child support for a child that is not yours? That is exactly what happened to Carnell Alexander! Mr. Alexander was arrested in the early 1990s during a routine traffic stop for being a deadbeat dad. This came as quite a shock to Mr. Alexander because he does not have any children.

Apparently, an ex-girlfriend had identified Mr. Alexander as the father when she applied for welfare benefits. The court documents revealed that a process server allegedly gave notice of a hearing to an individual named Carnell Alexander, in person, at a house where he once lived. However, upon further investigation, it was revealed that this was impossible because Mr. Alexander was incarcerated on the date he was allegedly served in the house.

In an attempt to fix the error some 20 years later, Mr. Alexander went to court for help. Instead, the judge rebuked Mr. Alexander for waiting so long to take action and failing to take this matter seriously. In fact, the judge ruled that because Mr. Alexander failed to file a motion to set aside the acknowledgement of his paternity in a timely manner, he was obligated to pay the past due child support in the amount of $30,000!

Mr. Alexander claims that he had just gotten released from prison when he learned that his ex-girlfriend was claiming he was the father of her child. At that time, he had no money, an eighth grade education and could not find an attorney to help him. While Mr. Alexander acknowledges that he had been to court numerous times in the past, he claims that he informed Friend of the Court workers and judges on the case that he was not the child’s father. In fact, Mr. Alexander attempted to track down the child’s mother in hopes of getting a DNA test performed to prove he was not the father. He was unable to find her until 2013, when a DNA test proved that he in fact was not the child’s father. Further, the child’s biological father has been in the now adult child’s life, unlike Mr. Alexander.

This case has outraged many, including Cherika Harris, an attorney who has taken on Mr. Alexander’s case without pay. Ms. Harris has succeeded in getting the attorney general to drop a warrant for Mr. Alexander’s arrest for the unpaid child support, but she must still battle the court order holding him liable for the more than $30,000 in back child support.

Paternity should be established before child custody, visitation, or child support matters can be decided. For help in establishing paternity or fighting an erroneous allegation of paternity, call The Men’s Divorce Law Firm to schedule an appointment