The Question:
I’m currently 7 months pregnant with my first child. We are no longer together and I have cut contact with him for the last 9 weeks. He continues to text/call and leave voicemails wanting to “work things out” I have no intentions in getting back together. I need to know what exactly are my rights are and what exactly are his rights?
RJ Says:
Please call my office soon. We can certainly help you consider and then pursue your options even prior to birth. One topic I have continually emphasized in my 29 years for a pregnant client is that you need to take every step necessary to eliminate stress during this important time. So one task we can discuss is us sending him a “cease and desist….for now” type letter.
He will of course have rights once the child is born, should he choose to pursue them. Pursuant to Arizona law, your Judge will be required, consistent with the child’s best interests, to adopt a parenting plan that provides for both parents to share legal decision-making regarding their child and that maximizes their respective parenting time.
He will also have the obligation to pay child support, and can be ordered to contribute to expenses you have incurred during pregnancy. Child Support in Arizona is based upon a formula. The factors considered include (1) the parents’ respective incomes; (2) whether either parent has additional children or support obligations; (3) how much is daycare and who pays; (4) how much is health insurance and who pays; (5) does any child have special needs; and (6) how much time does the non-custodial parent spend with the children. You can run some scenarios on the Arizona Supreme Court website. There is a free Child Support Calculator there. If you use correct figures, it can tell you exactly what a Judge will order for child support.