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Child Support In Missouri: The Father's Duty, The Child's Right And The Mother's Ability To Enforce, Gerald D. Mcbeth

Missouri Law Review

An obligation exists between father and child, the father having a duty to provide support, and the child having the right to receive support from his father. The enforceability of the obligation, however, does not run in a parallel manner. In Worthington v. Worthington, a guardian acting in behalf of seven minor children attempted to enforce the children's right of support against their father; the St. Louis Court of Appeals affirmed the father's demurrer. The court held that even though the father's duty to support his children was a legal duty, no cause of action is recognized in the children …