In Re JW

97 S.W.3d 818, 2003 WL 169920
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 27, 2003
Docket05-01-01938-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 97 S.W.3d 818 (In Re JW) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re JW, 97 S.W.3d 818, 2003 WL 169920 (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

97 S.W.3d 818 (2003)

In the Interest of J.W., A Child.

No. 05-01-01938-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Dallas.

January 27, 2003.

*819 Ray Chappelle, Dallas, LaVance Williams, for appellant.

Jimmy L. Verner, Jr., Verner & Brumley, Craig Anthony Bonham, Bonham and Associates, Dallas, for appellee.

Before Justices MOSELEY and LANG.[1]

OPINION

Opinion by Justice LANG.

Appellant LaVance Williams appeals the trial court's order declaring him to be the father of J.W. and imposing child support obligations. J.W. cross-appeals seeking an additional year of retroactive child support. In three issues, Williams argues the trial court erred in its paternity finding because a previous divorce decree had determined another man was J.W.'s father. We affirm the trial court's order.

Factual and Procedural Background

J.W.[2] was born during the marriage of J.W.'s mother, Theodora Gilleylen, and Andrew L. Boone. In 1991, Theodora filed for divorce from Boone. In her petition, she alleged she and Boone were the parents of J.W. Boone did not answer and the divorce was granted by default on October 4, 1991. The divorce decree found *820 that Theodora and Boone were the parents of J.W., appointed Theodora sole managing conservator of J.W., and ordered Boone to pay child support.

On October 16, 1996, Theodora filed a petition for termination of the parent-child relationship between J.W. and Boone, in which she alleged Boone was the biological father of J.W. The alleged grounds for termination were abandonment and failure to pay child support. Shortly after the petition was filed, a paternity test was done on Theodora, J.W., and Williams. According to a sworn paternity report, Theodora and J.W. gave blood samples for DNA paternity testing on November 11, 1996, and Williams gave a blood sample on February 7, 1997. The paternity report dated February 13, 1997 stated that Williams could not be excluded as J.W.'s father, and that the probability of paternity[3] was 99.9962 percent. The trial court appointed an attorney ad litem for J.W. in the termination proceeding. A decree terminating Boone's parental rights was signed on December 2, 1998, again by default. In the decree, the court found that Boone had abandoned J.W., that Boone had failed to pay child support, and that Boone was not the biological father of J.W. based on DNA paternity testing submitted to the court. The court also found there was no child support arrearage. The record does not show this decree was appealed or its findings challenged by any person.

On January 25, 1999, Theodora filed a petition to establish that Williams was the biological father of J.W. (Theodora's Paternity Action). She did not request and the trial court did not appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the interests of J.W. Williams moved to dismiss the suit on the grounds that the divorce decree had adjudicated Boone to be J.W.'s father and the later paternity suit was barred under former section 160.007 of the family code.[4] That section provided, in part:

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a suit under this chapter with respect to a child is barred if final judgment has been rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction:
(1) adjudicating a named individual to be the biological father of the child;
...

TEX. FAM.CODE ANN. § 160.007.[5] Theodora filed the February 13, 1997 paternity test in the paternity suit against Williams. After a hearing, the trial court granted Williams's motion to dismiss the paternity suit on June 11, 1999.

On September 28, 2000, Theodora filed another paternity suit against Williams, this time as next friend of J.W. (J.W.'s Paternity Action). Williams again moved to dismiss on the grounds of res judicata, collateral estoppel, and former section 160.007. An attorney ad litem was appointed for J.W. and J.W., through his attorney ad litem, filed an amended petition *821 to establish paternity. In addition to the paternity allegations, J.W. sought a declaratory judgment that former section 160.007 was unconstitutional under the Texas and federal constitutions and served the Texas Attorney General with a copy of the pleading under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 37.006(b) (Vernon 1997).

J.W. filed a motion for partial summary judgment on Williams's affirmative defenses of res judicata, collateral estoppel and plea in bar based on the findings in the prior divorce. Williams filed a motion to dismiss and cross-motion for summary judgment. The trial court granted partial summary judgment for J.W., and denied Williams's motion. The trial court later held a pretrial conference under former section 160.105 and found that genetic testing identified Williams as J.W.'s father. The partial summary judgment became final when the court signed an order determining parentage and awarding child support after a hearing on child support.

Williams filed a notice of appeal from the order granting partial summary judgment and denying his motion for summary judgment. Williams's first issue deals with our jurisdiction and has been resolved by a prior order.[6] In his second issue, Williams argues former section 160.007(a)(1) bars J.W.'s paternity suit and the trial court should have granted summary judgment for Williams and dismissed the suit. In his third issue, Williams argues the termination of Boone's parental rights did not "open the door" for a new paternity suit to determine another man's paternity.

By cross-appeal, J.W. alleges that if former section 160.007 bars his paternity suit, then the statute is unconstitutional. J.W. also complains that the trial court did not award additional retroactive child support.

Standard of Review

We apply the established standards for reviewing a summary judgment. The party moving for summary judgment has the burden of showing no genuine issue of material fact exists and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(c); Nixon v. Mr. Prop. Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548 (Tex.1985); Swilley v. Hughes, 488 S.W.2d 64, 67 (Tex. 1972). In deciding whether a disputed material fact issue exists, precluding summary judgment, evidence favorable to the nonmovant will be taken as true. Nixon, 690 S.W.2d at 548-49. Further, every reasonable inference must be indulged in favor of the nonmovant and any doubts resolved in its favor. Id.

When both parties move for summary judgment, each party bears the burden of establishing that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. City of Garland v. Dallas Morning News, 22 S.W.3d 351, 356 (Tex.2000). When the trial court grants one motion and denies the other, we review the summary judgment evidence presented by both parties and determine all questions presented. Id. The reviewing court should render the judgment that the trial court should have rendered. Id.

Application of Law to Facts

We discuss Williams's second and third issues together, which essentially claim that the paternity finding in the divorce decree bars this paternity action. J.W. *822

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Bluebook (online)
97 S.W.3d 818, 2003 WL 169920, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-jw-texapp-2003.