Christensen v. Chrsitensen
In the 1991 case of JWP v. WW 255 NJS 1 (App Div 1991) the Court used the doctrine of estoppel to impose a child support obligation upon a step parent.
Last week the Appellate Division reaffirmed that concept in Christensen v. Chrsitensen in holding that a step father who acquiesced in the mother’s efforts to keep the child from seeing the biological father and from seeking child support from the biological father was responsible for child support.
In an interesting side note, the Court stated that it was not ruling on the obligation of the biological father, and may well find, under appropriate circumstances, that both a biological and a step parent have concurrent child support obligations.