I don't see it that way. If they filed for TANF, federal law require that they track down the dad and there is no way around it short of his having had his parental rights terminated.
Now that being said, I have many times dealt with cases when women seeking TANF benefits tried to hedge on who the father was for fear he would get mad at them for sticking him with the bill. And I have been made aware of him raising holy heck when she does.
For that matter, I have been involved in cases on a number of occasions when the putative father was incarcerated. When paternity testing was ordered, it turned out he was NOT the father. Jerry Springer moments in court are a bit awkward. You can almost hear the neck crack when the "father" spins around to stare at the mother.
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