Paternity and support proceedings combined; apportionment · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 563. Paternity and support proceedings combined; apportionment. When a proceeding to establish paternity is initiated under this article, the court on its own motion or on motion of any person qualified under article four of this act to file a support petition may direct the filing of a petition under article four to compel the mother to support her child. If the court enters an order of filiation, it may apportion the costs of the support and education of the child between the parents according to their respective means and responsibilities.
Paternity and support can be combined. Once a paternity case is filed under this article, the court, on its own motion or on the motion of anyone who could file an Article 4 support petition, may direct an Article 4 petition to make the mother support the child. If the court enters an order of filiation, it may split the cost of the child's support and education between the parents according to their means. ★
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 5 — The JG-22 Family Court Act and in Volume 1 — The JG-22 in Plain English.