Eight years ago, Nick Olivas, who was 14 at the time, had a sexual relationship with a 20-year-old woman. By law, Olivas is a victim of statutory rape. The case was discussed by Dr. Drew and a panel on Headline News.
In 2012, six years later, Olivas found out that his former lover had
become pregnant and carried his child, and was demanding that Olivas pay
child support for the time he was absent, according to The Arizona Republic.
He was eventually tracked down and now owes a hefty sum of money for all the time he has been financially absent in the child’s life.
According to The Arizona Republic, Olivas owes around $15,000 in medical bills which dates back to the child’s birth, plus 10-percent interest.
Olivas says that he wants to be a part of his daughter’s life, but feels that it is unfair for him to have to pay child support for the time that he didn’t know she existed.
In Arizona, it’s considered statutory rape for someone who is 18 or older to have sex with someone who is younger than 15, whether it’s consensual or not.
He states that it’s unfair that he is being held accountable for what he did as a child.
Mel Feit, director of the New York-based advocacy group the National Center for Men, commented on how ludicrous this case is. Feit asks people to think about this situation if roles were reversed.
Both sides are arguably understandable. What do you think should happen in this situation?
“It was a shock,” he told The Arizona Republic. “I was living my life and enjoying being young. To find out you have a 6-year-old? It’s unexplainable. It freaked me out.”Olivas only learned of the allegations when he received a letter from officials demanding that he take a paternity test. A shocked Olivas didn’t know what to do and chose to ignore the legal documents.
He was eventually tracked down and now owes a hefty sum of money for all the time he has been financially absent in the child’s life.
According to The Arizona Republic, Olivas owes around $15,000 in medical bills which dates back to the child’s birth, plus 10-percent interest.
Olivas says that he wants to be a part of his daughter’s life, but feels that it is unfair for him to have to pay child support for the time that he didn’t know she existed.
In Arizona, it’s considered statutory rape for someone who is 18 or older to have sex with someone who is younger than 15, whether it’s consensual or not.
He states that it’s unfair that he is being held accountable for what he did as a child.
“Anything I do as an adult, I should be responsible for,” he said. “But as a teenager? I don’t think so.”Olivas is legally responsible for paying the child support, even though he is technically considered a victim of rape, because the child’s mother was never charged with sexual assault. According to the Washington Times:
“The Department of Economic Security doesn’t exempt such situations, unless the parent seeking child support has been found guilty of sexual assault. The rule’s purpose is to ensure that the child is cared for, officials told The Republic.”This case raised serious questions about whether or not Olivas should be held responsible for paying child support for the time he was unaware he had a daughter.
Mel Feit, director of the New York-based advocacy group the National Center for Men, commented on how ludicrous this case is. Feit asks people to think about this situation if roles were reversed.
“The idea that a woman would have to send money to a man who raped her is absolutely off-the-charts ridiculous,” he told the paper. “It wouldn’t be tolerated, and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”
Both sides are arguably understandable. What do you think should happen in this situation?
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