10:01 That's the trend, for sure. But this is a pretty extreme case. The father is married and has, as best we know, had no contact with the child. He doesn't even know where he and his mother live. How can he begin to assert that the child will be better off with him and his wife? Courts are big on both parents being involved, but they also are big on keeping the status quo for the child, in the best interest in the child. OP will also have to start paying support if he wants to claim paternity.

Anonymous wrote:Is the babys mother married?
I am not sure, but I heard that in some places you cannot claim paternity rights if the woman is married. Something about the sanctity of marriage

or maybe they wanted to outlaw having babies with the neighbors wife

She was.

In general, almost all jurisdictions prefer joint custody unless one parent can be proved unfit. Proving a parent unfit is quite a high bar. My ex is mentally ill and engages in illegal behavior and has an alcohol problem. My attorney told me that basically unless my ex can be shown in court to have hit the kids or sexually abused them, there was basically no chance of my getting full custody. Lawyer noted that even a great likelihood that these things would happen, or the fact that my ex engaged in illegal behavior or was diagnosed would not be enough for full custody.

If the child is yours, you will likely get some custody or visitation, but full custody is unlikely unless the mom can be shown to have harmed them.