Does the age of the father matter when establishing paternity?

Yes, the age of the father does matter when establishing paternity in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Revised Statutes, any person “capable of fathering a child” can be declared the father of a child regardless of age. Generally, that means any man over the age of 18. But, this is not always the case. For instance, in Kentucky, if a man is under the age of 18 but is married to the mother of the child, he is still allowed to be declared the father of the child and take responsibility for the child and child support. This is true even if the man is legally too young to be a father. In cases where the mother or father of the child is under the age of 18, the court may decide to appoint a guardian for the minor and the court may also assign responsibility for the child support payments to the guardians. This ensures that the minor child is taken care of and that paternity is established and child support is paid. In addition to these situations, there are other special circumstances in which the age of the father can factor into the paternity determination. For instance, if the father of the child is alleged to be more than 10 years younger or older than the mother, the paternity claim may be disputed and the age factor can come into play during the court’s decision. In conclusion, the age of the father does matter and can impact the paternity determination in Kentucky. Although the law generally states that any person over the age of 18 can be declared the father of a child, there are certain exceptions and circumstances in which the age of the father may be taken into consideration when establishing paternity.

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