A man is being forced to pay child support even after a DNA test proved he isn't the actual father.
Joseph Sinawa, from Florida, is fighting the state when he was told that he had to continue to pay maintenance to his ex.
Speaking to WTLV-TV, he said that he signed the birth certificate because he genuinely thought that he was the father. He also made it very clear that the mother doesn't want him to have to pay but is being forced by the state.
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Speaking from his St Augustine home, he said: "She told the judge she just wants this to be done and over with, and so do I."
The man found out the news that he wasn't the real dad when a DNA test was done by a court in the county during a custody issue.
But although the judge ordered the child support to end, the Florida Department of Revenue appealed the decision on the basis that, according to it, he hadn't properly tried to 'disestablish paternity'.
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He added: "At the time it had been taking $83 out of my paycheck, more than a third of my pay. When I thought I was the father I didn't have a problem with it."
It means that he still has to pay the child support until the whole situation is resolved in court.
He's currently representing himself in court as he doesn't have enough money to get an attorney and has filed the paperwork that he needs to.
However, at present, no time scale has been set and it's also unknown as to whether any of the money he's paid so far will be returned to him.
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Speaking to First Coast News, St. Augustine Attorney Brandon Beardsley said that this is the first time he's seen this happen in his career.
He explained: "It was a waste of Florida taxpayer resources to appeal a decision when the end result is going to be the same."
Sinawa said that he was emotionally devastated when he found out that the child wasn't his, and the court case keeps bringing it up and adding to his pain.
He added: "I don't want to keep reliving what I've already had to go through."
Featured Image Credit: First Coast NewsTopics: US News