CHAPTER 12 PATERNITY Table of Contents I. OVERVIEW OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS TO DETERMINE PATERNITY................. 12-3 A. Methods of Establishing Paternity...................................................................................... 12-3 B. Paternity Proceeding in Juvenile Court............................................................................... 12-3 C. Paternity Issues in Divorce Custody Cases......................................................................... 12-3 D. Paternity Issues in Adoption................................................................................................ 12-5 E. Title IV-D and the Child Support Bureau.......................................................................... 12-5 II. RIGHTS OF ALLEGED FATHERS IN CHINS AND TEMINATION CASES A. Alleged Father Qualifies as “Parent”.................................................................................. 12-6 B. CHINS and Termination Case Law.................................................................................... 12-7 C. Custody and Parenting Time Rights................................................................................... 12-9 III. INVOLVING ALLEGED FATHERS IN CHINS PROCEEDING A. Best Practice to Give Notice to Alleged Fathers................................................................. 12-9 B. Benefits/Detriments of Establishing Paternity................................................................... 12-9 C. Amendment of CHINS Petition to Include Alleged or Adjudicated Father....................... 12-11 D. Locating Alleged Fathers..................................................................................................... 12-12 IV. ESTABLISHING PATERNITY WITH A PATERNITY PROCEEDING A. Jurisdiction and Venue...................................................................................................... 12-13 1. Intrastate Court Jurisdiction........................................................................................ 12-14 2. Interstate Jurisdiction................................................................................................... 12-18 B. Civil Trial Rules and Standard of Proof............................................................................. 12-19 C. Right to Jury Trial............................................................................................................... 12-19 D. Standing and Legal Responsibility to File Paternity Proceeding...................................... 12-19 E. Filing Paternity Proceeding on Child Conceived Outside of Mother’s Marriage.............. 12-21 1. Paternity Proceeding to Establish Paternity of Child Born While Mother’s Marriage Still Intact....................................................................................................... 12-21 2. Initiating Paternity Proceeding During Mother’s Divorce Proceeding or After Divorce Judgment........................................................................................................... 12-22 3. Attempted Disestablishment of Paternity After Death of Presumptive Father............... 12-25 F. Party Status............................................................................................................................ 12-25 G. Statute of Limitations............................................................................................................ 12-26 1. Filing Suit as Next Friend.............................................................................................. 12-27 2. Furnishing Child Support Tolls Statute of Limitations.................................................. 12-29 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity Tolls Statute of Limitations Unless Rescission............ 12-29 H. Appointment of Counsel or Guardian ad Litem/Court Appointed Special Advocate for Child................................................................................................................................. 12-29 I. Right to Counsel for Parents................................................................................................ 12-31 J. Paternity Petition and Service of Process........................................................................... 12-31 K. Stipulations and Joint Petitions for Paternity.................................................................... 12-33 L. Statutes Regarding Presumed Father..................................................................................... 12-33 M. Case Law Regarding Rebuttable Presumption of Fatherhood............................................... 12-34 N. Blood or Genetic Tests to Determine Paternity.................................................................. 12-38 1. Admissibility of Test Results.......................................................................................... 12-40 2. Effect of Test Results...................................................................................................... 12-40 O. Default Judgment.................................................................................................................. 12-41 P. Child Support........................................................................................................................ 12-42 Q. Costs and Fees....................................................................................................................... 12-45 © 2017 All Rights Reserved Ch. 12-1 Chapter 12 - Paternity R. Child Custody and Parenting Time..................................................................................... 12-46 1. Custody Reports by Probation Officer.......................................................................... 12-48 2. De Facto Custodian........................................................................................................ 12-48 3. Issues of Domestic Violence.......................................................................................... 12-49 4. Visitation and Parenting Time Guidelines.................................................................. 12-50 5. Modification of Custody or Parenting Time................................................................ 12-51 6. Custody Determination or Modification Involving a Third-Party Custodian.......... 12-56 7. Custody, Parenting Time, and Military Service....................................................... 12-58 S. Prior Paternity Adjudication May Bar Relitigation Under Theory of Res Judicata...... 12-59 T. Motion to Set Aside Paternity Judgment............................................................................ 12-60 U. The Child’s Surname............................................................................................................ 12-61 V. ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY A. Establishing and Disestablishing Maternity........................................................................ 12-63 B. Establishing Paternity After Artificial Insemination......................................................... 12-65 VI. PATERNITY PROCEEDINGS AND ADOPTION A. Putative Father Registry....................................................................................................... 12-68 B. Inability to Pursue Paternity Proceeding............................................................................ 12-69 C. Putative Father’s Duty to Give Notice and Rights of Prospective Adoptive Parents.......... 12-71 D. Expedited Paternity Proceedings and Blood Tests............................................................. 12-72 VII. ESTABLISHING PATERNITY WITH A PATERNITY AFFIDAVIT........................... 12-72 A. Requirement for Paternity Affidavit.................................................................................... 12-73 B. Execution of Affidavit with Health Department.................................................................. 12-75 C. Obtaining Child Support with Affidavit............................................................................. 12-75 D. Setting Aside a Paternity Affidavit....................................................................................... 12-75 E. Use of Paternity Affidavit by Biological Parents Who Marry After Birth of the Child..................................................................................................................................... 12-79 VIII. ESTABLISHING OR DISESTABLISHING PATERNITY IN DISSOLUTION PROCEEDINGS.................................................................................................................. 12-80 A. Disestablishing Paternity in Dissolution Proceeding.......................................................... 12-80 B. GAL Appointment Required When Presumed Father Challenged in Divorce Proceeding.. 12-83 C. Laches and Equitable Estoppel............................................................................................ 12-83 D. Awarding Custody and Visitation to Husband Who is Not Biological Father................. 12-85 © 2017 All Rights Reserved Ch. 12-2 Chapter 12 - Paternity CHAPTER 12 PATERNITY I. OVERVIEW OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS TO DETERMINE PATERNITY When a child is born during the marriage of the mother and the mother’s husband it is presumed that the child is the biological and legal child of the mother and the husband. See IC 31-14-7-1 (presumed fathers); IC 31-9-2-15 (definition of child born in wedlock). It is generally not necessary to obtain a legal determination of this presumed fatherhood unless paternity is challenged, or challengeable, in a legal proceeding.