Can a legal father revoke paternity?

Michigan has created a statutory process through the Revocation of Paternity Act (ROPA) (PDF) for a legal father to challenge his legal paternity. The process depends on how he was established as the legal father.

  • Presumed Father (married to the mother at the time of conception or birth)
  • Acknowledged Father (affirmatively held himself out to be the child's father by executing an acknowledgment of parentage)
  • Genetic Father (determined to be the father through genetic testing)
  • Affiliated Father (determined to be the father through a prior court order)
  • Alleged Father (a man who through his actions could be the father)

The ROPA laws should be carefully reviewed and followed to ensure that time lines and steps in the process are followed. Michigan Legal Help has some useful information, answering a variety of questions in this process.

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1. What is the Prosecutor's role in establishing paternity in Michigan?
2. Who do I contact at the Eaton County Prosecutor's office?
3. What is paternity?
4. Why is it important to establish paternity?
5. How is legal paternity established?
6. How do I start a paternity case?
7. What happens with the absent parent?
8. How can the father voluntarily acknowledge paternity?
9. Can the Affidavit of Parentage be filed by mail?
10. Is there a fee for filing the Affidavit of Parentage?
11. What if the father refuses to acknowledge paternity?
12. Can a legal father revoke paternity?
13. What if the mother is not sure who her child's father is?
14. When is a DNA test necessary? How is a paternity DNA test done?
15. What does paternity blood testing show?
16. Who pays for the DNA tests?
17. Can the parents do private DNA testing?
18. What happens if the mother or father is not 18?
19. How long after the child is born can paternity be established?
20. When can the father's name be put on the birth certificate?
21. If the parents decide to voluntarily acknowledge paternity, what other steps must be taken?
22. What web sites have Michigan paternity-related information?