Seeking a divorce from Keshia Knight Pulliam, former NFL linebacker Edgerton “Ed” Hartwell II filed divorce papers in a Fulton County, Georgia courthouse on Monday, July 25, 2016, citing irreconcilable differences, “such as constant disagreements on life changing decisions that couples typically make together.”
Rolling out reached out to an Atlanta attorney to see if this is a case that a judge will touch, as his wife is expecting a child.
We asked, in Georgia, will a judge grant a divorce when the wife is pregnant? Is a husband required to pay child support in the event he finds out he’s not the father but through marriage, the child bears his surname?
We’ve learned from Attorney Tori White of White Law Office LLC:
“A divorce cannot be granted in Georgia while the wife is pregnant unless support and custody are resolved in the divorce. Because prenatal DNA tests can be done now more safely, some parties will confirm paternity prior to the birth and the divorce can conclude (either confirming or denying the husband’s paternity).
“But practically, the tests are expensive and most people wait until after the baby is born to confirm paternity. To answer your last question, if a child is born to a marriage, the husband is responsible for support even if he is not the biological father. There is a remarkable case is south Georgia, after the divorce, the husband learned he was not the biological father. But in the divorce he was found responsible for child support. He subsequently lost his job and could not pay support…and went to jail for about 12 months. That outcome would likely be different in metro Atlanta, but it’s hard to digest nonetheless.”
The couple secretly married this past New Year’s Eve after less than six months of dating. Last week, Pulliam revealed on Instagram that she was expecting to welcome a daughter with Hartwell in January 2017. All traces of Hartwell have disappeared from her IG.
But, Ed tells TheYBF.com via his rep, “Right now, the only thing I want is a paternity test for the baby.”
