Source: http://law.ga.gov/print/opinion/97-5
Timestamp: 2014-07-25 23:04:38
Document Index: 340092580

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 9', '§ 9', '§ 9']

Official Opinion 97-5
February 14, 1997To: Commissioner Georgia Department of Human Resources
Re: Parties to a civil action to establish paternity are not entitled to a trial by jury.
You have requested my official opinion as to whether parties to a civil action brought to establish paternity have a right to a trial by jury. After reviewing the Georgia Constitution and the statutory provisions relevant to proceedings to establish paternity, it is my opinion that such a right does not exist.
The right to a jury trial may exist pursuant to either a statutory or constitutional provision. If the right to a jury trial in a civil action brought for the establishment of paternity is secured by statute, then reliance on the Georgia Constitution is unnecessary. Thus, this analysis begins with a discussion of the statutes relevant to an action to establish paternity.
The Child Support Recovery Act, O.C.G.A. §§ 19-11-1 through 19-11-30, and the Determination of Paternity provisions of the Georgia Code, O.C.G.A. §§ 19-7-40 through 19-7-53, are the two potential sources of a statutory right to a jury trial in a civil paternity action. Neither of these statutory sources provides for a right to a jury trial in an action brought to establish paternity.
The actions brought by the Georgia Department of Human Resources (hereinafter "Department") to establish paternity arise under the Child Support Recovery Act, O.C.G.A. §§ 19-11-1 through 19-11-30. The Department is authorized to bring an action to establish paternity and recover child support whenever a dependent minor child is a recipient of public assistance. The action is brought in the name of the child for the use of the Department. See O.C.G.A. §§ 19-11-7, 19-11-13. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-11-13, captioned "Determination of paternity," there is no mention made of a statutory right to a jury trial. Indeed, nothing in the Child Support Recovery Act suggests such a right. See O.C.G.A. § 19-11-1 et seq. Accordingly, no statutory right to a trial by jury exists in a civil action for the establishment of paternity.
Also relevant to this inquiry are the Determination of Paternity provisions of the Code, O.C.G.A. §§ 19-7-40 through 19-7-53. It is my opinion that no statutory right to a jury trial exists under these provisions either. Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 19-7-49, referring to jury instructions, states "[w]here the issue of parentage is to be decided by a jury," which leads to the logical conclusion that a jury is not required in all cases. Accordingly, a question arises as to when a jury would be available. As explained below a jury would only be available when a court orders the use of a jury, not when parties demand a jury as a matter of right.
Actions under the Determination of Paternity Code provisions are civil actions governed by the rules of civil procedure. O.C.G.A. § 19-7-47. The Civil Practice Act contains two Code Sections regarding jury trials. See O.C.G.A. §§ 9-11-38, 9-11-39. Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 9-11-38 mirrors the Georgia Constitution in that the right to trial by jury is preserved inviolate where declared so by the Constitution or given by a statute of the state. Since there is no constitutional right to a jury trial as discussed infra, and no express statutory right under the Child Support Recovery Act or the Determination of Paternity Code provisions, it is necessary to look to O.C.G.A. § 9-11-39. That Code Section provides that "[i]n all actions not triable of right by a jury, or where jury trial has been expressly waived, the court may nevertheless order a