DEFINITIONS OF RELATIONSHIPS

Paternity Testing

Establishing paternity means identifying a man as the biological father of a child. Paternity testing is necessary in many situations; including, custody, child support, adoption, immigration, estate purposes and many other legal reasons.

Maternity Testing

Establishing maternity means identifying a woman as the biological mother of a child. In most situations, it is evident who the mother is. However, in cases of adoption, immigration and various legal situations, maternity testing may be necessary.

Relationship Testing

Relationship testing is establishing a biological relationship to any family member of the alleged father or mother. Typically, relationship testing is performed when the alleged father or mother is unavailable and includes the following:

                Grandparentage – Determining whether or not the alleged father or mother’s parents are the biological grandparents of the child.

                Avuncular – Determining whether or not a sibling of the alleged father or mother is the biological aunt or uncle of the child.

                Siblingship – Determining whether or not one or more children share one or both of the same biological parents.