The recent Pennsylvania Superior Court case of Denelle v. Denelle, 243 A.3d 230 (Pa. Super. 2020) addressed an interesting issue regarding the intersection of the signing of an acknowledgement of paternity and child support.

Jamie Denelle (the mother) filed a child support action against Samantha Denelle (formerly named Marc Allen Denelle) (the putative parent). According to the opinion, the mother and the putative parent began dating when the mother was three months pregnant with the child. While the mother was pregnant, the putative parent was aware of the same and the mother informed the putative parent that Nick Medved was the child’s biological father. “During their relationship, the mother and the putative parent agreed that the putative parent would not be financially responsible for supporting the child and that the mother would pursue Medved for child support.”