M.R. v. A.B.C.

683 So. 2d 629, 1996 Fla. App. LEXIS 12470
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedNovember 27, 1996
DocketNo. 96-448
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 683 So. 2d 629 (M.R. v. A.B.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
M.R. v. A.B.C., 683 So. 2d 629, 1996 Fla. App. LEXIS 12470 (Fla. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

M.R. appeals an order dismissing her petition for paternity. The trial court dismissed the petition under authority of Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Privette, 617 So.2d 305 (Fla.1993), after deciding that the paternity action was not in the best interest of the child. We conclude that the [630]*630child’s guardian ad litem should have been disqualified, and reverse the dismissal order.

Petitioner-appellant M.R. is the mother of the minor child, R.R. R.R. was born while the mother was married to Intervenor I.R., the former husband. The husband and wife divorced in 1989 while the child was very young. The divorce decree states that R.R. is a child of the marriage. By agreement the former "wife was given sole parental responsibility for R.R. The former husband was granted visitation rights and was to pay child support.

Subsequently the former husband was convicted of a federal crime. He was incarcerated in federal prison on a twelve and one-half year sentence. He filed a motion in the original divorce action to terminate his child support obligation on the ground that he no longer had income from which to pay it.

The mother then filed this paternity action. In it she contends that Respondent A.B.C. is the natural father of the minor child. She alleges that during a time in which she was separated from her husband, she had a relationship with A.B.C. and the minor child was conceived at that time. She alleges that A.B.C. provided some support for the minor child, but that he has ceased doing so.

The trial court conducted a preliminary inquiry as required by Privette, 617 So.2d at 308-10. Such a preliminary hearing is required in any case in which a paternity proceeding is filed on behalf of a child who was bom during a marriage. The trial court concluded that it would not be in the best interest of the child for the paternity action to proceed, and dismissed the case. The mother has appealed.

R.R. was born while M.R. and I.R. were married. In Privette, the Florida Supreme Court considered what showing must be made in order to justify requiring the putative father to take a blood test to establish (or refute) paternity, where the minor child was bom during the course of a marriage. The court stated:

Once children are bom legitimate, they have a right to maintain that status both factually and legally if doing so is in then-best interests. The child’s legally recognized father likewise has an unmistakable interest in maintaining the relationship with his child unimpugned, such that his opposition to the blood test and reasons for so objecting would be relevant evidence in determining the child’s best interests.
Thus, before a blood test can be ordered in cases of this type, the trial court is required to hear argument from the parties, including the legal father if he wishes to appear and a guardian ad litem appointed to represent the child....
... The trial court hearing a petition for a blood test is required: (a) to determine that the complaint is apparently accurate factually, is brought in good faith, and is likely to be supported by reliable evidence, and (b) to find that the child’s best interests will be better served even if the blood test later proves the child’s factual illegitimacy. The one seeking the test bears the burden of proving these elements by clear and convincing evidence.

617 So.2d at 307-08 (citations and footnotes omitted).

Technically, all that was before the court in Privette was the question of whether the putative father would be required to submit to a blood test. We agree with the trial court, however, that the Privette decision requires the trial court to make a determination whether the paternity action itself should go forward, or be dismissed. Once the court makes a decision that the paternity action is not in the best interest of the child, then the entire paternity action must be dismissed.

The mother does not necessarily disagree with that reading of Privette, but the mother argues that she has a right to a jury trial during the Privette hearing. She points out that in B.J.Y. v. M.A, 617 So.2d 1061 (Fla.1993), the Florida Supreme Court held that there is a right to a jury trial in a paternity action. Id. at 1064. She reasons that since the trial court conducting the Privette hearing must make certain factual determinations, it follows that there is a right to have a jury make the required findings.

We agree with the trial court that there is no right to a jury trial during a [631]*631Privette hearing. The B.J.Y. ease involved a child born out of wedlock, see B.J.Y. v. M.A., 594 So.2d 816, 817 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992), approved, 617 So.2d at 1061, 1064, and thus did not present any issue involving Privette. As we view the matter, the Privette hearing is a preliminary determination which, like other pretrial matters, is addressed to the trial judge and is not a matter to be heard by ■ a jury.

Turning now to our area of disagreement with the trial court, the Privette decision requires that a guardian ad litem be appointed to represent the child for purposes of the Privette hearing. 617 So.2d at 808. “The child as represented by the guardian ad litem is an indispensable party, since the child’s best interests are the primary issue of the proceeding.” 617 So.2d at 308 n. 5.

In this case the trial court followed Pri-vette by appointing a guardian ad litem. The guardian ad litem who was chosen had previously served as the guardian ad litem for the children during the divorce proceeding between M.R. and I.R. Consequently, it was a logical step to employ the same guardian ad litem for the paternity action.

During the course of the paternity proceedings below, the guardian ad litem was himself sued in a paternity action. The guardian ad litem thus found himself in the position of taking a position in this ease on how Privette should be interpreted, while at the same time some of the identical issues arose in the guardian ad litem’s own paternity ease. Under the circumstances, we think there was, at the least, an appearance of a conflict of interest and quite possibly an actual conflict of interest. It is our view, therefore, that the mother’s motions to disqualify the guardian ad litem should have been granted. The child is entitled to the services of an impartial guardian ad litem. Consequently, we must reverse the dismissal order and remand with directions to appoint a new guardian ad litem, and conduct a new hearing.

Since there must be further proceedings on remand, we address several issues which are likely to arise. As previously stated, Privette requires the court:

(a) to determine that the complaint is apparently accurate factually, is brought in good faith, and is likely to be supported by reliable evidence, and
(b) to find that the child’s best interests will be better served even if the blood test later proves the child’s factual illegitimacy.

617 So.2d at 308 (footnote omitted). A finding should be made on each of these points.

With regard to subdivision (a), the court found “that no irrefutable

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
683 So. 2d 629, 1996 Fla. App. LEXIS 12470, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mr-v-abc-fladistctapp-1996.