Langel v. Langel

175 N.E.2d 312, 85 Ohio Law. Abs. 483, 17 Ohio Op. 2d 63, 1960 Ohio App. LEXIS 824
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 20, 1960
DocketNo. 558
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 175 N.E.2d 312 (Langel v. Langel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Langel v. Langel, 175 N.E.2d 312, 85 Ohio Law. Abs. 483, 17 Ohio Op. 2d 63, 1960 Ohio App. LEXIS 824 (Ohio Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

Collier, J.

This appeal on questions of law is directed to the judgment of the Common Pleas Court of Athens County. On November 11, 1956, Merrill A. Langel, Plaintiff-Appellee, hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff, filed his petition against the defendant-appellant, Juanita V. Langel, herein referred to as the defendant, for divorce, legal and equitable relief. A few months later, the parties resumed living together. On May 6, 1958, plaintiff filed his amended petition, alleging gross neglect of duty ás a ground for divorce and further alleging that no children were born as result of said marriage.

On June 16, 1958, the defendant filed her answer to plaintiff’s amended petition admitting that no children were born [485]*485to the marriage. Defendant also filed a cross-petition seeking a divorce and alimony, in which she alleged, “That the plaintiff, in total disregard of his marital obligations, has refused to have any children and has refused to perform his marital duties.” On August 11, 1958, defendant filed a supplemental cross-petition alleging she was then pregnant and that the plaintiff was the father of her child and praying for an amount sufficient for her care and support during the period of pregnancy. On November 25, 1958, plaintiff was directed by the court to pay defendant certain amounts for that purpose. On February 17, 1958, plaintiff filed an answer consisting of a general denial to defendant’s cross-petition and supplemental cross-petition.

On May 15, 1959, defendant filed a supplemental answer alleging that a child, Katrina Jo, was born to the parties on March 20, 1959. On May 20, 1959, plaintiff was granted a divorce but all other related matters were continued. On May 6, 1960, after a hearing by the court on the issue of the paternity of the child, a journal entry was filed in which it was “Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that the plaintiff, Merrill A. Langel, is not the father of the child, born to the defendant, Juanita V. Langel, on March 20, 1959.”

The motion for a new trial was overruled and from that judgment the defendant has perfected her appeal to this court on questions of law.

The assignments of error are:

(1) That the trial court erred in receiving into evidence the results of certain blood-grouping tests.

(2) That the judgment of the trial court is contrary to the weight of the evidence and contrary to law.

(3) The trial court erred in refusing to grant a jury trial on the issue of the parentage of the minor child.

(4) The trial court erred in failing to provide representation for Katrina Jo Langel, a minor child.

(5) The trial court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial.

(1) The defendant, under her first assignment of error, claims that the evidence of the blood-grouping tests which indicated that the plaintiff was not the father of the child, was not competent on the ground of relevancy; that the only issue [486]*486for determination was whether the plaintiff and defendant had sexual intercourse during the time in which the child must have been conceived; that the real issue is not the parentage of the child, but whether the plaintiff and defendant had sexual intercourse at the probable time of conception of the child.

The record discloses that the plaintiff and defendant separated April 28, 1958. Defendant testified that between April 28, 1958 and August 11, 1958, the plaintiff visited her home on a number of occasions and that they had sexual intercourse five or ten times during that period of time.

The plaintiff admits that he returned to their former home where the defendant lived on three or four occasions, but claims he was always accompanied by other persons and denies that he and defendant had any sexual relations after April 28, 1958. The medical proof is that the child must have been conceived in June, 1958.

The guide post for trial courts in Ohio in cases of this kind is the case of The State, ex rel. Walker, v. Clark, 144 Ohio St., 305, 58 N. E. (2d), 773, in which it is held:

(2) “A child conceived during the existence of a lawful marital relation is presumed in law to be legitimate — a procreation of the husband and wife.

(3) Such presumption is not conclusive and may be rebutted by evidence, it must be clear and convincing that there was no sexual connection between the husband and wife during the time in which the child must have been conceived.”

It will be noted that in order to rebut the presumption of legitimacy of a child conceived in wedlock, the evidence must be clear and convincing that there was no sexual connection between the husband and wife during the time the child must have been conceived. If the evidence had shown such sexual relations between the plaintiff and defendant, under the pronouncement of the Walker case, in our opinion, evidence of blood-grouping tests would not be competent. The only question to be determined was whether the plaintiff and defendant did have such sexual connection. If so, the presumption is that the child is legitimate and there would be no issuable fact for the court to determine. This question was in dispute. The testimony of the plaintiff and defendant on this issue is in direct conflict.

[487]*487Since we have concluded that the real issue is whether the parties to this action had sexual connection at the time of con-seption, the question is whether the admission of the blood-grouping tests was error on the ground of relevancy. The term, “Relevant Evidence” adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio in Barnett v. State, 104 Ohio St., 298, 135 N. E., 647, is defined as follows:

“Any matter of fact, the effect, tendency or design of which, when presented to the mind, is to produce a persuasion concerning the existence of some other matter of fact — a persuasion either affirming or disaffirming of its existence.”

Greenleaf’s definition, also quoted in the same opinion is:

“All the means by which any matter of fact, the truth of which is submitted to investigation, is established or disapproved.”

Por further authority on the tests of relevancy of evidence see 21 Ohio Jurisprudence 2d, 187, Section 175, Evidence.

Applying these definitions, in our opinion, the trial court properly admitted the evidence of the blood-grouping tests as a means to aid and assist the court in determining the disputed question of fact on which the parties gave conflicting testimony. The natural effect of the evidence of the blood-grouping tests excluding the plaintiff as the father of the child, doubtless produced a persuasion in the mind of the trial court that the plaintiff did not have sexual connection with the defendant. In other words, such evidence tended to support and corroborate the plaintiff’s testimony and was relevant to the issue to be determined. This assignment of error is overruled.

The defendant also claims that Section 2317.47, Revised Code, authorizing the use of blood-grouping tests does not apply to divorce cases. This statute is in the chapter of the Revised Code on the subject of evidence and in express terms provides:

“Whenever it is relevant in a civil or criminal action or proceeding to determine the paternity or identity of any person, the trial court on motion shall order, etc.”

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Bluebook (online)
175 N.E.2d 312, 85 Ohio Law. Abs. 483, 17 Ohio Op. 2d 63, 1960 Ohio App. LEXIS 824, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/langel-v-langel-ohioctapp-1960.