Legal Question in Family Law in South Carolina

Re: Terminatating a dead-beat fathers parental rights

First, if you were never married, then his rights are automatically limited. The law says that you have custody and he does not. If you have never been to court, and there is no order, your not even under an obigation to allow him to visit the child. As far as terminating parental rights, you can persue that, but it will require a court order. Given what you have described, your chances of success appear good. So yes, you can do this without his permission, but you will still have to notify him of the court action. That much, you have to do.