In Re the Paternity of N.R.R.L.

846 N.E.2d 1094, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 861, 2006 WL 1302410
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 12, 2006
Docket50A03-0508-JV-372
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 846 N.E.2d 1094 (In Re the Paternity of N.R.R.L.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re the Paternity of N.R.R.L., 846 N.E.2d 1094, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 861, 2006 WL 1302410 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

NAJAM, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Curtis Rogge appeals from the trial court's denial of a motion to dismiss the action filed by Joshua Milner to establish paternity of the minor child N.R.R.L. ("the child"). Rogge presents a single issue for our review, namely, whether the trial court erred when it denied the motion to dismiss Milner's paternity action.

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

N.R.R.L. ("the child") was born to Mary Loftus ("Mother") on October 12, 2002. At the time of the birth, Mother and Rogge executed a paternity affidavit. In February 2008, Mother sought child support from Rogge. The Marshall County prosecutor filed the paternity affidavit and a petition for support on her behalf in the Marshall Cireuit Court, and the circuit court subsequently established paternity in Rogge. Although the court held a hearing on the request for child support, no action was taken on that request because, at the time of the hearing, Mother and Rogge were living together, Rogge was employed, and Mother was a stay-at-home mom.

On October 8, 2004, Milner filed the instant petition to establish paternity of the child, naming Mother as the sole respondent. Milner and Mother stipulated to submit to genetic testing, which showed that Milner is the child's biological father. At a subsequent hearing, the Marshall Superior Court adjudged Milner to be the child's father, ordered that Milner is to have visitation with the child, and ordered the parties to submit to a custody evaluation. The case was then transferred to the circuit court.

In April 2004, Mother filed a motion to dismiss Milner's paternity action, and Rogge filed a motion to intervene. Shortly thereafter, Rogge filed his Notice of Join-der in Motion to Dismiss, and Milner then filed a motion to join Rogge. After a hearing, the circuit court denied the motion to dismiss but granted Milner's motion to join Rogge as a party. Rogge's interlocutory appeal ensued.

DECISION AND DISCUSSION

Rogge contends that the trial court erred when it denied the motion to dismiss Milner's paternity action. Although not framed as such, Rogge's motion to dismiss essentially alleges Milner's failure to state a claim under Indiana Trial Rule 12(B)(6), and we will treat it as such. A Trial Rule 12(B)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted tests the legal sufficiency of a claim rather than the facts supporting the claim. Gorski v. DRR, Inc., 801 N.E.2d 642, 644-450 (Ind.Ct.App.2003). *1096 Dismissal for failure to state a claim is proper if it is apparent that the facts alleged in the complaint are incapable of supporting relief under any set of cireum-stances. Id.

Rogge asserts that the trial court should have dismissed Milner's paternity action because Rogge was a necessary party but was not named a party in that action 1 A man's paternity may be established in an action filed under Indiana Code title 31, article 14, or by execution of a paternity affidavit under Indiana Code Section 16-37-2-2.1. Ind.Code § 31-14-2-1. A man is a child's legal father if the man executed a paternity affidavit in accordance with Indiana Code Section 16-87-2-2.1 and the paternity affidavit has not been rescinded or set aside under Indiana Code Section 16-87-2-2.1. Ind.Code § 31-14-7-8. A man is presumed to be a child's biological father if "the man undergoes a genetic test that indicates with at least a ninety-nine percent (99%) probability that the man is the child's biological father." Ind.Code § 31-14-7-1(8). A man's paternity can only be established as described in Indiana Code Section 31-14-2-1. Ind.Code § 31-14-7-2(b).

Rogge contends that he was a necessary party to Milner's paternity action. Necessary parties to a paternity action include "each person alleged to be the father" of the child. Ind.Code § 31-14-5-6. Here, Rogge is listed as the father on the child's birth certificate. Also, Rogge and Mother jointly executed a paternity affidavit on October 14, 2002, two days after the child's birth, making Rogge the child's legal father. See Ind.Code § 31-14-7-3. When Mother later sought child support, the prosecutor filed the affidavit in the cireuit court. In that case, the court's Chronological Case Summary ("CCS") entry of February 20, 2004, reads in relevant part, "PATERNITY ESTABLISHED." 2 (Emphasis in original.) Milner filed the instant paternity action on October 8, 2004. But Milner did not name Rogge as a party to the action, nor has he shown that Rogge's paternity affidavit has been set aside or rescinded. See Ind.Code § 31-14-7-3. Rogge is the child's legal father pursuant to Indiana Code Section 31-14 7-3. As the legal father, Rogge is a necessary party to Milner's paternity action. See Ind.Code § 31-14-5-6.

While Rogge is a necessary party to Milner's paternity action, any error arising from Milner's failure to name Rogge as a party was remedied when the trial court allowed Rogge to intervene. Thus, in order to determine whether the trial court erred when it denied the motion to dismiss, we must still determine whether Mil-ner's petition states a claim upon which relief can be granted under any set of circumstances. We find that Milner's petition does state a claim for which relief can be granted.

This court addressed a similar set of facts in In re Paternity of KL.O., 816 N.E.2d 906 (Ind.Ct.App.2004). There, the mother and her boyfriend executed a paternity affidavit when the child was born. Later the mother asked a second man, Lakins, to take a paternity test, the results of which revealed a probability of 99.99995% that he was the child's biological father. The mother then filed a pater *1097 nity action against Lakins, but the trial court dismissed the action because the boyfriend had not been joined as a party. The mother filed a second paternity petition, alleging that the boyfriend was the child's father, in order to disestablish the boyfriend's paternity. The trial court dismissed the second petition after a DNA test revealed that the boyfriend was not the child's biological father. The mother then filed a third petition to establish paternity, alleging that Lakins was the father.

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Bluebook (online)
846 N.E.2d 1094, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 861, 2006 WL 1302410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-paternity-of-nrrl-indctapp-2006.