PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania appeals court has declared Sherri Shepherd legally responsible for a child born to a surrogate before she and her ex-husband divorced.

The actress has tried to have the surrogacy contract voided.

A lawyer for ex-husband Lamar Sally believes the ruling Monday means Shepherd must continue paying $4,100-a-month in child support. Sally is raising the 1-year-old boy in Los Angeles.

Court papers show Shepherd paid more than $100,000 for a suburban Philadelphia surrogate and supported the pregnancy until she changed her mind as her marriage faltered.

Surrogacy advocates say the Superior Court ruling Monday is the first in Pennsylvania to declare surrogacy contracts legal and binding.

Shepherd had roles on several sitcoms and co-hosted ABC's "The View" from 2007 to 2014.

Her lawyer did not immediately return a message Tuesday.

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This story has been corrected to delete an incorrect reference to a California child support order.