Wk v. Mhk

719 S.W.2d 232, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 8649
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 25, 1986
DocketB14-85-719-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 719 S.W.2d 232 (Wk v. Mhk) 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
Wk v. Mhk, 719 S.W.2d 232, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 8649 (Tex. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

719 S.W.2d 232 (1986)

W.K., Appellant,
v.
M.H.K., Appellee.

No. B14-85-719-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Houston (14th Dist.).

September 25, 1986.
Rehearing Denied October 23, 1986.

*233 Mary Mansfield Craft, Houston, for appellant.

Kyle W. King, Gizella E. Salomon, Houston, for appellee.

Before PAUL PRESSLER, SEARS and CANNON, JJ.

OPINION

SEARS, Justice.

In her suit for divorce, appellee sought managing conservatorship of and support for two daughters born to her during her marriage to appellant. She further sought a division of the parties' community estate and attorney's fees. Appellant counterclaimed for divorce and, pursuant to section 12.06 of the Texas Family Code, denied paternity of the two children. The trial court appointed an attorney ad litem to protect the interests of the children. The issues of paternity, attorney's fees and attorney ad litem fees were tried before a jury. The court tried the issues of property division, child support and visitation. We reverse and render in part and reverse and remand in part.

The jury found that (1) appellant was not the biological father of the two children, (2) appellant agreed by his conduct, admissions or other facts and circumstances to be the father of the children, (3) the children did not rely on appellant's agreement to their detriment, (4) appellant was estopped to deny his paternity of the children, (5) appellant waived his right to deny paternity of the children, (6) appellant's denial of paternity of the children was not barred by laches, (7) appellee's attorney's fees through trial were $2,000.00, (8) the attorney ad litem's fees through trial were $9,600.00, and (9) appellant's attorney's fees through trial were $12,125.00.

After hearing evidence on the property and support issues, the trial court signed the divorce decree on July 19, 1985. Contrary to the scientific evidence and the findings of the jury, the judge found appellant to be the parent of the children and ordered him to pay $125.00 per child per month to appellee, who was appointed their managing conservator. The court awarded appellee community assets and debts, including attorney's fees, of $34,000.00. Appellant received community assets and debts of minus $76,000.00. Although timely requested on two occasions, the court filed no findings of fact or conclusions of law.

Appellant perfected his appeal to this court, arguing that (1) the trial court erred in finding him to be the father of appellee's children; (2) the trial court abused its discretion in its division of the property, or, alternatively; (3) the trial court erred in failing to file findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Appellee filed suit for divorce on March 29, 1983. On October 20, 1983, appellant filed a sworn denial of paternity pursuant to section 12.06 of the Family Code. The court then ordered blood testing of the parties. At a pretrial hearing on September 24, 1984, the doctor who performed the blood tests testified as to her findings. She reported that the results of her tests excluded appellant's paternity of the children. On October 8, 1984, the court signed an order finding the tests showed by clear and convincing evidence that appellant was not the biological father of the children. Appellant subsequently filed a motion to sever and dismiss appellee's suit affecting the parent-child relationship. The record reflects that the trial court did not rule on appellant's motion to sever until after the case had been tried and the divorce decree had been signed. The court later denied appellant's motion despite its previous finding that appellant was not the father of the children.

Appellant argues in his first point of error that the trial court erred in finding him to be the father of appellee's children. Section 12.06 of the Family Code, effective September 1, 1983, provides as follows:

Denial of Paternity
(a) In any suit affecting the parent-child relationship, other than a suit under Chapter 13 of this code, a man is entitled to deny his paternity of the child who is *234 the subject of the suit and who was born or conceived during the marriage of the man and the mother of the child. The question of paternity under this section must be raised by an express statement denying paternity of the child in the man's pleadings in the suit, without regard to whether the man is a petitioner or respondent.
(b) In any suit in which a question of paternity is raised under this section, the court shall conduct the pretrial proceedings and order the blood tests as required in a suit under Chapter 13 of this code.
(c) In any suit in which a question of paternity is raised under this section, the man who is denying his paternity of the child has the burden of establishing that the man is not the father of the child.

Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 12.06 (Vernon Supp. 1986) (emphasis added).

The sections of Chapter 13 of the Family Code that encompass pretrial proceedings provide in relevant parts as follows:

§ 13.02
(a) When the respondent appears in a paternity suit, the court shall order the mother, alleged father, and child to submit to the taking of blood for the purpose of one of more blood tests.
§ 13.04
(a) After completion of the blood tests, the court shall order all parties to appear, either in person or by counsel, at a pretrial conference. The court shall call its appointed examiners to testify in person or by deposition about their tests and findings. A party may call other qualified examiners of blood tests to testify.
§ 13.05
(a) At the conclusion of the pretrial conference, if the court finds that the tests show by clear and convincing evidence that the alleged father is not the father of the child, the court shall dismiss the suit with prejudice.

Tex.Fam.Code Ann. §§ 13.02, 13.04, 13.05 (Vernon Supp.1986) (emphasis added).

Appellant argues that the trial judge should have sustained his motion to sever and dismiss that portion of appellee's suit affecting the parent-child relationship, i.e., appellee's request for support of the children, neither of whom were sired by appellant. We agree. Under the clear mandate of section 12.06(b) and section 13.05(a), the trial court was under a duty to dismiss that portion of the suit affecting the parent-child relationship. Appellee argues that section 12.06 should not be construed as being mandatory in its terms, but should instead be construed as being merely directory. Whether section 12.06(b) is mandatory is of no consequence to this case because the trial judge complied with the statute by ordering blood tests as required by section 13.02(a), by appointing an expert examiner as required by section 13.03, and by conducting a pretrial conference pursuant to Section 13.04(a). However, at the conclusion of the pretrial conference, the court failed to dismiss that portion of the suit affecting the parent-child relationship, as required by section 13.05(a), even though it found that the tests showed by clear and convincing evidence that appellant was not the father of the children. Section 13.05(a) is mandatory in its terms, therefore, it was error to deny appellant's motion to sever.

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Bluebook (online)
719 S.W.2d 232, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 8649, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wk-v-mhk-texapp-1986.