I filed a paternity petition against my daughter’s father. Is there anyway I can stop it or what will happen if I just don’t go?

Q: I thought I wanted to prove my paternity for my daughter so she can have a father but I believe it’s best if I just leave it alone. He is not on the birth certificate and she doesn’t have his last name. He is completely denying her. With that said that means legally he has no rights if I’m right. Now that the court date is getting closer I’m realizing with DNA he will have rights and he is already threatening me with certain things just to be a “father”. He really isn’t interested in being a father just worried about what I do and is just using it to harass me. Only wants to claim her on his time so I just think I rather just leave everything alone so he can leave us alone he doesn’t even know her name I think I let my emotions get the best of me when I filed the petition in court.

A: You can always write the Court a letter & request to withdraw the petition. That said, he can generally file an application in the future requesting visitation rights – so you may just be delaying the inevitable. Schedule a consult with a Bronx Child Custody Attorney for a full assessment.