[hmking]

My daughters father has been out of her life for 3 years she is 4. We were married and got divorced. No child support has ever been paid or asked for. According to the child support website he's in the red $19,000. I want to file child adbandoment on him and have my husband adpot her. How do I go about doing this?

[smoothy]

How can he be in arrears if he's never been ordered to pay support?

[J_9]

Your ex can't be behind in child support if he has never been court ordered to pay it.

If your current husband wants to adopt, you get an attorney to draw up the paperwork to have your ex give up his paternal rights to the child in order to make way for adoption.

[Fr_Chuck]

To be behind in child support you had to file for custody of the child and get custody, if you have not done that, the ex has equal rights to child today as he did the day child was born.

There can not be a penny of support due, if you have never filed for support.

So at this point, he is not behind.

Is there a order of visitation,

But you find ex, and get him to sign over his rights to allow the adoption, your attorney will do the paper work. Often filing for child support and starting to make him pay helps get him to change his mind and sign if he is not wanting to sign

[ScottGem]

As noted, if a child support order was never issued, there is nothing owed. Nor is this an abandonment issue.

If you want your husband to adopt then go for that. Get an attorney to prepare the paperwork. If the father balks at agreeing to the adoption, tell him you will file for support.