Trying to understand......

[jamiemarie428]

thanks for sharing your experience.  i actually wrote him an email last night, and he's in san diego today to be with me.  

my biggest problem isn't that i want the ex gone, cuz i know that will never ever happen, but i just really want him to stand up for himself, because he's worth more than that.  

we'll see how it goes, and i'll keep you guys posted.  thanks for the support.  it was very comforting, especially right now.

[mistoffolees]

Why?

The fact that he bought things for his stepkids doesn't obligate him in any way to continue to do so. 

He has absolutely no legal obligations to the stepkids. He may feel a DESIRE to support them, but that's entirely at his option.

If your logic applied, then every time I decide to give money to a charity, they would have a right to demand more of my money forever.

[reagantrooper]

>Why?
>
>The fact that he bought things for his stepkids doesn't
>obligate him in any way to continue to do so. 
>
>He has absolutely no legal obligations to the stepkids. He may
>feel a DESIRE to support them, but that's entirely at his
>option.
>
>If your logic applied, then every time I decide to give money
>to a charity, they would have a right to demand more of my
>money forever.
>

Its NOT MY logic! As a matter of fact I dont find it logical at all!!

The poster indicated that the Man has been supporting his step kids.

Do some research and you will find many cases of this nature, where a Man has been supporting a child then finds out that he is NOT the bio dad yet the court will still hold him liable for supporting said child under the "whats best for the child" clause.

[mistoffolees]

The situation you're citing is different. If a baby is born and the man supports it and acts as if it's his child from birth, then he'll probably end up supporting the child forever. 

In this case, the kids were always someone else's and there has never been any implication that the SF was the BF. 

Very, very different situation. I know because my stbx is trying to get me to send her kids from a previous marriage to college. My lawyer says she doesn't have a chance of getting that even though I provided the majority of their support for our entire marriage. You don't have any legal obligation to support stepkids unless you've adopted them or signed a contract agreeing to support them.