LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad announced on Thursday that he is working to introduce legislation that would protect Michigan families from the consequences of paternity fraud and provide men a meaningful opportunity to challenge a paternity determination when DNA evidence shows they are not the biological father.

Under current Michigan law, a man can become the legal father of a child “by default” through circumstances that do not establish biological paternity. In some cases, men have continued to face child-support obligations even after genetic testing showed they were not the biological father.

“No man should be forced to spend years paying child support for a child he did not father because of a lie, a mistake or a failure in the system,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “If DNA evidence proves someone is not the biological father, our laws should provide a fair and meaningful way to correct that injustice.”

Runestad has long advocated for changes to Michigan’s paternity laws, including after WXYZ Detroit previously highlighted cases of Michigan men ordered to pay child support despite DNA evidence showing they were not the biological father of the child.

“Many men have faced charges, had their wages garnished, and faced other extreme legal and financial hardships — and our system is indifferent to this gross miscarriage of justice,” Runestad said. “There needs to be clear penalties for when child support obligations are based upon lies and there needs to be an avenue for men to clear their name when they possess empirical, undeniable evidence showing their innocence.

“We cannot allow these glaring, negligent injustices to continue.”

Runestad introduced similar legislation during a previous legislative session and noted his disappointment that the issue was not taken up.

“I hope more of my colleagues hear some of these horror stories and join me in saying, ‘This isn’t right,’” Runestad said. “Children deserve to know the truth about who their parents are, and innocent men deserve due process. The truth should matter in our family courts.”

Runestad said he expects to introduce the legislation in the coming days.

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