Actress Sherri Shepherd, who many Californians remember as being former co-host of “The View”, has been ordered to continue to pay child support for her son who is legally, but not biologically, her child. Her ex-husband was granted full custody of the child, but Shepherd had balked at paying child support and wanted to be taken off the child’s birth certificate, which listed her as the mother. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has refused to overturn the decision of a lower Pennsylvania court and ordered Shepherd to continue paying child support until the boy is 13 years old.
At the time the child was conceived using a donor egg, Shepherd and her ex-husband were married and planned to raise the child together. The couple separated while the surrogate was pregnant, and then Shepherd attempted to legally dissolve her relationship with the child. While her ex-husband, who is the biological father, agreed to raise the child, Shepherd refused to see the boy or provide financial support.
Shepherd’s name was added to the birth certificate in 2015 after a Pennsylvania judge ruled that she is legally the mother. Shepherd was also involved in a custody dispute with the father of her older son, who had filed complaints of neglect. A judge ruled that the complaints were unfounded, and Shepherd continues to have primary custody of her 9-year-old son.
Child support and child custody can be emotional issues. People who are involved in such disputes will often be advised by their family law attorneys to remember that the primary focus of a court in these types of situations is the child’s best interest.
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