Legal Definitions - paternity action

A paternity action, also known as a paternity suit or parentage action, is a legal process to determine whether a person is the biological father of a child, especially if the child was born out of wedlock. This process is usually initiated by the mother to obtain child support from the father.

• Sarah filed a paternity action against John to establish that he was the father of her child and to obtain child support.
• The court ordered a DNA test as part of the paternity suit to determine whether the man was the biological father of the child.

These examples illustrate how a paternity action is a legal process initiated by the mother to establish the biological father of a child and obtain child support.