You folks have some rights, but the Court is mostly concerned with the best interest of the child. Wisconsin appellate courts have held that if a child has been raised for years in the belief, shared by his or her father, that they are truly parent-and-child, even if DNA evidence shows that the father is not the biological father, he can still be required to pay support. More to the point, if you have been raising this child for almost all his life, I assume that you and he have formed bonds of affection which would hurt all of you to break. There is provision in the law for a non-parent who has a parent-like relationship with a child to sue for 'visitation,' that is, some periods of placement. Another option is to consider filing a paternity action in which the non-biological father asserts he is the child's father, and let the mother go to the trouble, if she wishes, to contest it. Your rights are not as strong as you might wish, but you do have some. You really should consult a lawyer. Good luck.
Answered on Dec 13th, 2012 at 9:40 PM