Texas basketball fans may be interested in a child custody case involving Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, who is seeking full custody of a child if she is proven to be his by a second paternity test. The child was born May 1 and has been cared for by her mother, who is unemployed but lives with family members who participate in the child’s care. The mother initially filed for sole custody and cited George’s travel schedule as a reason he should not have custody.
Now his lawyers have come back with a petition of their own. George is seeking full custody of the child because he has the financial and emotional resources to be the child’s sole caregiver and is the best person to make day-to-day decisions for the child, according to the petition. In addition, the petition notes that the child’s mother is unemployed and has not sought employment since the child’s birth. The petition is contingent on the results of a new paternity test as the prenatal test came back with results stating there was a 99.9 percent probability that George was the child’s father. George disputed the methodology used in the prenatal test and requested a second one.
His petition requests that the case be moved to Florida, where the two met, and that the mother receive less than Florida’s child support guidelines if George is denied full custody. Lawyers for the child’s mother have said that the petition is insulting to women and that the child’s mother, who has moved in with family members in New York where the case is currently being heard, has remained unemployed in order to better care for the child.
In most child custody disputes, a court will take into account the best interests of the child in making its determination. For parents who are seeking sole custody, it may be advisable to consult with a family law attorney who has experience in such matters.
Source: Indy Star, “Pacers’ Paul George seeks sole custody of child“, June 30, 2014