TULSA, Okla. — An Oklahoma man has been ordered to pay child support for a child who isn’t his biological son.
Thomas Coleman married his high school girlfriend when she became pregnant with a child he believed to be his. Their marriage eventually fell apart, and Coleman decided to take a paternity test when the boy was three years old. The kid was not his son, KOTV-TV reported.
“I should’ve expected it but I didn’t and it hit me,” Coleman said. “I’m telling my co-worker how shocked I am that someone could do this to someone.”
A judge ordered Coleman to take another test, which produced the same result. The judge ruled Coleman didn’t have to financially support the child, but reversed that decision because Oklahoma law says paternity must be questioned within two years of the child’s birth.
Coleman now must pay around $500 a month in child support and nearly $15,000 in back support, plus interest.
Coleman, who believes DNA should matter regardless of time, said he wants the Oklahoma law changed.
“I wish I was telling a lie,” he said. “I wish it wasn’t the truth but it is. That’s what makes it so crazy. Everyone I talk to about this can’t believe where the court system is coming from.”