Child support changes needed
December 22, 2008 - 2:43 pm
Attorney Larry Weinsteen has a couple of ideas to help improve Nevada’s child support system. Allow men accused of fathering a child to receive immediate relief if they can provide DNA test evidence in their favor. And pursue women who maliciously accuse men of paternity in an effort to collect child support.
That’s the conclusion Weinsteen reached after recently helping Las Vegan Jesse Rivera overcome being wrongfully accused of fathering an Arizona woman’s child. Systems in Arizona and Nevada forced Rivera to pay approximately $600 a month in child support even after be provided a DNA test that determined there was “zero percent” chance he was the dad. Rivera lost $7,000 and won’t be able ot recover it.
Neither Nevada nor Arizona authorities have said they will pursue fraud charges against the woman.
Rivera’s plight was the subject of Sunday’s column.
Now Weinsteen’s ideas should attract the attention of concerned legislators who value fairness in the system.