State, Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support ex rel. James v. Passant

698 So. 2d 27, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 26, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 1650, 1997 WL 331016
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 18, 1997
DocketNo. 97-26
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 698 So. 2d 27 (State, Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support ex rel. James v. Passant) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State, Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support ex rel. James v. Passant, 698 So. 2d 27, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 26, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 1650, 1997 WL 331016 (La. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

liAMY, Judge.

The trial court entered judgment of paternity after finding that the defendant, Christopher Passant, is the father of the minor child of Lucille Arabie Broussard. The trial court additionally ordered the defendant to pay child support. Defendant now appeals. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand.

DISCUSSION OF THE RECORD

This suit was initially instituted on March 11, 1992 when the State filed a Petition to Establish Paternity and Support Obligation. That petition was filed on behalf of Corey James Broussard, the minor child of Lucille Arabie Broussard. In that petition, it was alleged that the defendant, Christopher Pas-sant, was the biological father of the child. The defendant was personally served and subsequently responded by filing a pro se answer in which he denied all allegations contained in |2the petition. In that pro se answer, the defendant listed his address as 3714 Creole Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Blood samples for testing were taken from Ms. Broussard and the child on April 27, 1992. Thereafter, the appellant filed a “Joint Motion and Order for Paternity Blood Test.” The order was signed on May 14, 1992. However, before service of the order was attempted, the defendant went in for blood testing. The day after the sample was taken from the defendant, a deputy sheriff attempted to serve the order on the defendant beginning this matter’s long history of service difficulties. The deputy sheriffs notation indicates that service was not completed because the defendant was out of the country.

The record indicates that the blood samples were tested at Roche Biomedical Laboratories of Burlington, North Carolina. These tests indicated a 99.78% probability of paternity. These results were filed pursuant to La.R.S. 9:397.3. Service of the notice of these results was unsuccessful.

A Motion to Set for Trial was filed by the State, but, as with notice of the test results, notice of the trial date could not be served on the defendant. The trial court initially set the trial date for November 4,1992. However, the defendant could not be served and the trial court twice reset the trial date. Service of notice of each of these new dates was also unsuccessful. The final trial date was set for November 3, 1993. Once again, service of the notice of the trial date could not be completed. Unlike the previous attempts, however, service was not attempted at the 3714 Creole Street address, but was attempted only at an address supplied by the postmaster.

| -¡Despite the lack of notification, the November 3, 1993 hearing was held. The defendant did not appear at the hearing nor was he represented by counsel. The hearing officer recommended that the defendant be adjudged to be the legal and biological father of the minor child and that the defendant pay child support in the amount of $651.00 per month. These recommendations were signed on February 24,1995. Notice of the hearing officer’s recommendation was issued but attempts to serve this notice were unsuccessful. On August 3,1994, the trial court signed an income assignment order pursuant to La. R.S. 46:236.3(A) and (B). This assignment was directed toward the defendant’s employer.

The defendant filed a Petition to Annul Judgment and for Injunctive Relief arguing [29]*29that he had not received notice of test results, trial date, or the recommendations of the hearing officer. The trial court granted the petition and nullified the recommendations of the hearing officer and stayed the income assignment. The State appealed. However, a panel of the third circuit found that the State’s failure to attempt service of the notice of trial at the Creole Street address was fatal. The nullification was affirmed.1

The State now claims that, following the appeal, service of the test results was once again attempted. The record indicates that service was attempted both at the Creole Street address and the address given to the court at the time of the annulment proceedings. However, on remand, service was again unsuccessful. The deputy sheriff made the following notation: “Christopher Pas-sant — moved out of the U.S. ^according to landlord (Cagle Properties).” Additionally, service of the notice of the new trial date was attempted and was also unsuccessful.

Despite the lack of service, a trial on the merits was held on July 8, 1996. At that time, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of the State finding the defendant to be the father of the minor child and ordering child support. An income assignment was also ordered.

The defendant now appeals the second judgment and assigns the following as error: 1) The trial court committed manifest error in finding that the State carried its burden of proof in establishing the paternity; and 2) The defendant was not given notice of the date the matter was actually tried. The defendant asks that the judgment be annulled.

LAW

The defendant first argues that the State did not meet its burden of establishing paternity by a preponderance of the evidence. The defendant claims that the results of the blood tests were the only evidence presented by the State and that these tests, alone, are not sufficient. Further, the defendant argues that the report accompanying the blood tests was improperly admitted because it did not comport with the requirements of La. R.S. 9:397.3. Finally, the defendant argues that he was not properly served with the results of these tests.

La.Civ.Code art. 209(A) requires:

A child not entitled to legitimate filiation nor filiated by the initiative of the parent by legitimation or by acknowledgment under Article 203 must prove filiation as to an alleged living parent by a preponderance of the evidence in a civil proceeding instituted by the child or on his behalf within the time limit provided in this article.

jyjFurther, a trial court’s finding of proof of paternity is a factual determination which should not be overturned absent manifest error. State, Dept. of Social Services v. Thomas, 27, 248 (La.App. 2 Cir. 8/23/95); 660 So.2d 163.

With regard to the necessity of the defendant being noticed of the test results, La.R.S. 9:397.3(A) provides:

A written report of the results of the initial testing, certified by a sworn affidavit by the expert who supervised the tests, shall be filed in the suit record. A notice that the report has been filed shall be mailed by certified mail to all parties by the clerk of court or shall be served in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Article 1314. A party may challenge the testing procedure within thirty days of the date of receipt or service of the notice.

Finally, La.Code Civ.P. art. 1571(B) provides:

A party who appears in proper person before the court shall advise the court of his current address and any change of address during the pendency of the proceedings. The address and change of address shall be entered in the record of the proceedings. The failure of a party to provide such information does not affect the validity of any judgment rendered if notice of trial or other matters was sent to the party’s last known address of record.

[30]*30We recognize that, unlike the first hearing, notice of the July 8,1996 trial was attempted at the defendant’s address of record.2

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Bluebook (online)
698 So. 2d 27, 97 La.App. 3 Cir. 26, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 1650, 1997 WL 331016, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-department-of-social-services-office-of-family-support-ex-rel-lactapp-1997.