Massachusetts General Laws
Title III - Domestic Relations
Chapter 209c - Children Born Out of Wedlock

Section 1 - Declaration of Purpose; Definition; Responsibility for Support - Section 1. Children born to parents who are not married...

Section 2 - Paternity; Acknowledgment or Adjudication; Statistical Information of Parties; Transmission to Registrar - Section 2. Paternity may be established by filing with the...

Section 3 - Paternity and Support Actions; Jurisdiction; Enforcement of Prior Orders or Judgments; Juvenile Court Commitment Proceedings; Parents Convicted of First Degree Murder - Section 3. (a) The district, Boston municipal and the probate...

Section 4 - Venue; Service - Section 4. Actions under this chapter to establish paternity, support,...

Section 5 - Persons Entitled to Maintain Actions or Execute Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage; Parties - Section 5. (a) Complaints under this chapter to establish paternity,...

Section 6 - Presumption of Paternity; Mandatory Joinder - Section 6. (a) In all actions under this chapter a...

Section 7 - Representation in Paternity Actions; Appointment of Counsel; Burden of Proof - Section 7. Actions under this chapter shall be civil actions....

Section 8 - Judgment of Paternity; Age of Father; Notice - Section 8. On complaint to establish paternity, the court shall...

Section 9 - Judgment or Order for Support; Health Insurance; Financial Statement; Determination of Amount; Notice - Section 9. (a) If the court finds that a parent...

Section 10 - Award of Custody; Criteria - Section 10. (a) Upon or after an adjudication or voluntary...

Section 11 - Acknowledgment of Parentage; Approval; Parental Agreements Regarding Custody, Support and Visitation - Section 11. (a) A written voluntary acknowledgment of parentage executed...

Section 12 - Trial; Exclusion of Public - Section 12. In actions under this chapter, the trial shall...

Section 13 - Inspection of Documents; Copies; Segregation of Records - Section 13. In an action to establish paternity or in...

Section 14 - Complaints Brought Prior to Birth - Section 14. An action to establish paternity of a child...

Section 15 - Temporary Orders; Enforcement; Information Required to Be Given to Petitioner; Domestic Violence Record Search - Section 15. At any time pursuant to an action under...

Section 16 - Competency to Testify; Refusal to Testify; Costs of Tests; Admissibility of Evidence; Failure of Party to Attend; Testimony by Telephone or Affidavit - Section 16. (a) Both the plaintiff and the defendant are...

Section 17 - Genetic Marker Tests; Affidavit; Refusal to Submit to Test; Costs - Section 17. In an action under this chapter to establish...

Section 18 - Judgments or Orders of Support; Enforcement - Section 18. Each judgment or order of support which is...

Section 19 - Judgment or Temporary Order of Support; Enforcement - Section 19. A judgment of support issued in conclusion of...

Section 20 - Modification of Judgments; Jurisdiction - Section 20. A court with original jurisdiction pursuant to section...

Section 21 - Action to Determine Mother and Child Relationship - Section 21. Any interested party may bring an action to...

Section 22 - Proceedings Barred Under This Chapter - Section 22. (a) A decree or judgment entered on a...

Section 23 - Intermarriage of Parents; Jurisdiction - Section 23. (a) If, after adjudication of paternity or voluntary...

Section 24 - Forms - Section 24. The administrative justices of the district, Boston municipal...