Opinion ID: 2178370
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Best Interests Standard Applies

Text: To resolve the present controversy, we first must determine whether the trial judge was correct in concluding that the decision of whether to order a paternity test in this case depended on an evaluation of the best interests of the child. Two sets of provisions under the Maryland Code relate to paternity determinations. One method for ascertaining paternity can be found in Maryland Code, Section 1-206 and 1-208 of the Estates and Trusts Article (1974, 2001 Repl.Vol.). Section 1-206(a), for testamentary purposes, creates a presumption of legitimacy for children born to a married mother: (a) Marriage of parents. A child born or conceived during a marriage is presumed to be the legitimate child of both spouses. Except as provided in § 1-207, a child born at any time after his parents have participated in a marriage ceremony with each other, even if the marriage is invalid, is presumed to be the legitimate child of both parents. [1] Maryland Code, § 1-206(a) of the Estates and Trusts Article (1974, 2001 Repl.Vol.). [2] Under this provision, the husband is the presumed father of the child born to his wife during the marriage. On the other hand, when a child is born to parents who have not participated in a marriage ceremony with each other, Section 1-208 of the Estates and Trusts Article establishes the rules for determining the child's mother and father: (a) Child of his mother.  A child born to parents who have not participated in a marriage ceremony with each other shall be considered to be the child of his mother. (b) Child of his father.  A child born to parents who have not participated in a marriage ceremony with each other shall be considered to be the child of his father only if the father: (1) Has been judicially determined to be the father in an action brought under the statutes relating to paternity proceedings; (2) Has acknowledged himself, in writing, to be the father; (3) Has openly and notoriously recognized the child to be his child; or (4) Has subsequently married the mother and has acknowledged himself, orally or in writing, to be the father. Code, § 1-208 of the Estates and Trusts Article. Other statutory provisions governing Paternity Proceedings are located in Maryland Code, Sections 5-1001 through 5-1048 of the Family Law Article (1984, 2001 Repl.Vol.). Section 5-1002(b) sets forth the purpose of those sections, which collectively are subtitled, Paternity Proceedings (hereinafter the Paternity Act): The purpose of this subtitle is: (1) to promote the general welfare and best interests of children born out of wedlock by securing for them, as nearly as practicable, the same rights to support, care, and education as children born in wedlock; (2) to impose on the mothers and fathers of children born out of wedlock the basic obligations and responsibilities of parenthood; and (3) to simplify the procedures for determining paternity, custody, guardianship, and responsibility for the support of children born out of wedlock. Code, § 5-1002(b) of the Family Law Article. Section 5-1029 establishes the availability of blood or genetic testing of the parties to a paternity proceeding under the Paternity Act. It states in relevant part: On the motion of the [Child Support Enforcement Administration], a party to the proceeding, or on its own motion, the court shall order the mother, child, and alleged father to submit to blood or genetic tests to determine whether the alleged father can be excluded as being the father of the child. Code, § 5-1029(b) of the Family Law Article. Under this provision, a trial court has no discretion over whether to order a blood or genetic test. See Langston v. Riffe, 359 Md. 396, 754 A.2d 389 (2000). Instead, upon any party's motion, the presiding court shall order the mother, child, and alleged father to undergo paternity testing. This Court, in Turner v. Whisted, 327 Md. 106, 607 A.2d 935 (1992), had the opportunity to consider whether the determination of paternity should be governed by the Estates and Trusts Article or the Paternity Act when the child in question was born during a marriage, and we concluded that an equitable action under the Estates and Trusts Article was the best way of establishing paternity in such a case. Id. at 113, 607 A.2d at 938. Turner had a sexual relationship with an unmarried woman who became pregnant. Id. at 109, 607 A.2d at 936. Before the child was born, however, the woman married another man and delivered the child during that marriage. Id., 607 A.2d at 936. Six months after the birth, the child's mother and her husband separated. Id., 607 A.2d at 937. While separated from his wife, the husband continued to visit the child on a regular basis and paid support for the child's care. After leaving her husband, the child's mother again started seeing Turner, who was then able to develop a relationship with the child. Id. Eighteen months after renewing their relationship, Turner and the child's mother broke up, and Turner's contact with the child came to an end. Id. Turner sued, seeking visitation and an order for a blood test of the child to determine his paternity. Id. Following decisions in the Circuit Court and Court of Special Appeals denying Turner's requests, this Court issued a writ of certiorari to determine whether Section 5-1029 of the Family Law Article, the statute mandating that a child submit to a blood test, was appropriate for situations like Turner's. Id. at 111, 607 A.2d at 937. We rejected the proposition that the case necessarily was controlled by the provisions of Section 5-1029. Id. at 112, 607 A.2d at 938. Instead, we declared that paternity actions may be pursued under either the provisions of the Family Law Article or in equity under the Estates and Trusts Article. Id. Nevertheless, we concluded that an action to establish paternity is more appropriately brought under the Estates & Trusts Article when the child at issue has been born during a marriage. Id. at 113, 607 A.2d at 938. As we explained, where a child is presumed legitimate and where two men each acknowledge paternity of that child, the procedure for considering the issue of paternity under the Estates and Trusts Article is preferable because it presents the more satisfactory and less traumatic means of establishing paternity. 327 Md. at 113, 607 A.2d at 938 (citing Thomas v. Solis, 263 Md. 536, 544, 283 A.2d 777, 781 (1971); Dawson v. Eversberg, 257 Md. 308, 314, 262 A.2d 729, 732 (1970)). We compared a motion for a blood test under the Estates and Trusts Article with a request for a physical examination under Maryland Rule 2-423, [3] which the court has discretion to grant for good cause. Id. at 113-14, 607 A.2d at 939. In our view, the discretionary aspect of the court's decision under the Estates and Trusts Article permits consideration of the competing interests at issue. Id. at 114, 607 A.2d at 939. For example, the court must consider the husband and wife's privacy interest along with the petitioner's interest in a relationship with the child. Id. Most significantly though, we recognized that, in applying its discretion, the court may consider the best interests of the child. Id. at 116, 607 A.2d at 940. We explained further: The criteria for determining the child's best interests in cases of disputed paternity include consideration of the stability of the child's current home environment, whether there is an ongoing family unit, and the child's physical, mental, and emotional needs. An important consideration is the child's past relationship with the putative father. Finally, other factors might even include the child's ability to ascertain genetic information for the purpose of medical treatment and genealogical history. Id. at 116-17, 607 A.2d at 940. In the present case, like in Turner, two men (one the mother's husband and the other her one time paramour) claim to be the father of a child born during a marriage so that, as we made clear in Turner, the provisions of the Estates and Trusts Article set forth the appropriate procedures for analyzing the question of a child's paternity in such a case. The application of those provisions to this case is straightforward. Under Section 1-206, Kendi is the presumed child of Wilson and Harris, and a blood or genetic test may be ordered only upon a showing of good cause presumably of sufficient persuasive force to overcome the statutory presumption. When making the determination of good cause, the court must weigh the various interests of the parties and, in particular, consider whether blood or genetic testing would be in the best interests of Kendi. The Circuit Court, therefore, correctly followed the precedent in Turner and made the decision to deny Kendi's blood or genetic test based on an assessment of the child's best interests. Evans argues, however, that Turner has lost some of its authoritative value in light of several amendments to the Family Law Article and our more recent opinion in Langston v. Riffe, 359 Md. 396, 754 A.2d 389 (2000). He alleges that these developments in the law represent an expansion of the rights of putative fathers to the extent that a putative father has an absolute right to demand blood or genetic testing [of the child] at any time. Although Evans is correct that putative fathers now have greater rights to challenge paternity declarations, the expanded rights to which he refers do not apply to individuals in his position. That is, as we explain in greater detail below, because Kendi was not born out of wedlock, Evans is not her putative father. It is true that since the Turner decision, the General Assembly and this Court have changed the legal landscape of Paternity Proceedings governed by the Family Law Article. The transformation began in 1994 when we filed our decision in Tandra S. v. Tyrone W., 336 Md. 303, 648 A.2d 439 (1994), where we held that, under Maryland Rule 2-535, [4] a trial judge could set aside or otherwise alter or amend a judgment of paternity after 30 days only in the event of fraud, mistake, . . . irregularity, or clerical error. Id. at 315, 648 A.2d at 445. As a consequence of the holding, two men, who had been named as fathers in two separate paternity judgments and who had not established fraud, mistake, irregularity, or clerical error, were required to continue paying child support, despite strong evidence that they were not the biological fathers. Id. at 323, 648 A.2d at 448. The year after the Tandra S. decision, the General Assembly amended Section 5-1038 of the Family Law Article, to provide an alternative way for an adjudged father to challenge a judgment of paternity. See 1995 Maryland Laws, ch. 248. The amended language of Section 5-1038(a)(2)(i)(2) permits a paternity judgment to be set aside at any time if blood or genetic testing establishes that the named father is not the biological father of the child. Section 5-1038 now provides: (a) Declaration of paternity final; modifications.  (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, a declaration of paternity in an order is final. (2) (i) A declaration of paternity may be modified or set aside: 1. in the manner and to the extent that any order or decree of an equity court is subject to the revisory power of the court under any law, rule, or established principle of practice and procedure in equity; or 2. if a blood or genetic test done in accordance with § 5-1029 of this subtitle establishes the exclusion of the individual named as the father in the order. (ii) Notwithstanding subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, a declaration of paternity may not be modified or set aside if the individual named in the order acknowledged paternity knowing he was not the father. (b) Other orders subject to modification.  Except for a declaration of paternity, the court may modify or set aside any order or part of an order under this subtitle as the court considers just and proper in light of the circumstances and in the best interests of the child. Code, § 5-1038 of the Family Law Article. In Langston, we had occasion to interpret two aspects of Section 5-1038 as it was amended in 1995. 359 Md. at 403, 754 A.2d at 392. We consolidated three separate cases in which individuals had unsuccessfully sought blood or genetic testing to overturn paternity judgments. Each judgment had been entered before the 1995 amendment to the statute. Id. at 399, 754 A.2d at 390. We held that the amended statute applied retrospectively to paternity judgments issued before the law's effective date on October 1, 1995. Id. at 417-18, 754 A.2d at 400. Thus, the men who had been declared fathers by the court before that date could move, pursuant to Section 5-1029, to reopen paternity proceedings for blood or genetic testing. Id. at 437, 754 A.2d at 411. We further held in Langston that the availability of blood or genetic testing under Section 5-1029 did not depend on any analysis of the best interests of the child because, when an individual challenges a declaration of paternity in which he is named the father and then moves for a blood or genetic test, the trial court must grant the request. Id. at 435, 754 A.2d at 410. We summarized this holding as follows: In ... proceedings [pursuant section 5-1038(a)(2)(i)2 of the Family Law Article], the putative father may, by motion, request a blood or genetic test, pursuant to section 5-1029, in order to confirm or deny paternity, which is admissible in evidence under the provisions of that statute. A determination of the best interests of the child in ordering the requested testing, or in the consideration of paternity, whether original or revised, is inappropriate. Our holding today applies only to proceedings to modify or set aside a paternity declaration; an attempt to modify or set aside any other order resulting from an original paternity declaration is governed by 5-1038(b). Id. at 437, 754 A.2d at 411. [5] In 1997, the General Assembly again amended the Paternity Proceedings subtitle of the Family Law Article, adding Section 5-1002(c), which states: Nothing in this subtitle may be construed to limit the right of a putative father to file a complaint to establish his paternity of a child. Maryland Code, § 5-1002(c) of the Family Law Article (1984, 1999 Repl. Vol). The Legislature added this language to Section 5-1002 for the purpose of clarifying that a putative father may file a paternity action. 1997 Maryland Laws, ch. 609. The coalescence of Langston and the 1995 and 1997 amendments to the Paternity Proceedings of the Family Law Article brings into question whether our holding in Turner has been invalidated so that the mandatory blood or genetic testing of Section 5-1029 is now available to challenge the paternity of a child born during an intact marriage. The Court of Special Appeals recently addressed this issue in Stubbs v. Colandrea, 154 Md.App. 673, 841 A.2d 361 (2004). In that case, like in the case before us, a man alleged that he was the father of a child conceived and born during the marriage of the child's mother to a different man. Id. at 675, 841 A.2d at 362. The court faced the question of whether, upon the petitioner's motion, a blood or genetic test of the child was mandatory under Section 5-1029(b). Id. at 680, 841 A.2d at 365. Judge Rodowsky, writing for the court, first explored the effect of Section 5-1002(c), which prohibits any construction of the statute that would limit the right of a putative father to file an action to establish paternity of a child. Id. (citing Maryland Code, § 5-1002(c) of the Family Law Article 1984, 1999 Repl.Vol.). As Judge Rodowsky explained, a putative father is one who has fathered a child out of wedlock: Although putative father is not a defined term in the Paternity Act, the quoted term has a settled legal meaning. Black's Law Dictionary defines putative father to mean [t]he alleged biological father of a child born out of wedlock. Black's Law Dictionary 623 (7th ed.1999). That the dictionary meaning of putative father was intended by the General Assembly when using that term in [Section 5-1002(c)] is confirmed by construing subsection (c) compatibly with the balance of [Section 5-1002] to which subsection (c) was added. Id. at 683-84, 841 A.2d at 367. As support for the dictionary definition of putative father Judge Rodowsky quoted Section 5-1002(b), which states that one of the purposes of the paternity act is to promote the general welfare and best interests of children born out of wedlock.  Id. at 684, 841 A.2d at 367 (citing Maryland Code, § 5-1002(b) of the Family Law Article (1984, 1999 Repl.Vol.)) (emphasis added). The Court of Special Appeals thus concluded that the `child' in [Section 5-1002(c)] refers to a child born out of wedlock. Id. As further support for the court's reading of the term putative father, Judge Rodowsky extensively reviewed the legislative history of Section 5-1002(c), focusing specifically on the federal legislation that precipitated its enactment. Id. at 684, 841 A.2d at 367. [6] The court held: Nothing in the text of [Section 5-1002(c)], or in its Maryland or federal legislative histories, indicates that the General Assembly intended to alter the Turner v. Whisted test for determining whether a blood test should be ordered under the circumstances presented here, or that the Federal Government intended to require, under the circumstances presented here, a mandatory blood test similar to that provided by [Section 5-1029]. Id. at 688, 841 A.2d at 369-70. The Stubbs court also distinguished our opinion in Langston on the ground that it, like Section 5-1002(c), dealt with children born out of wedlock. Id. at 689, 841 A.2d at 370. Judge Rodowsky also stated that Langston was inapplicable because it concerned a putative father seeking to disavow his child support obligation rather than an individual requesting to establish paternity by a blood test. Id. Consequently, following Turner, the Court of Special appeals held that a request to establish paternity by a blood test ... is to be evaluated under [Section 1-208 of the Estates and Trusts Article]. Id. Judge Rodowsky's persuasive analysis leads us, as well, to conclude that the General Assembly intended the language of Section 5-1002(c) to ensure the protection and support of children born out of wedlock. Therefore, we agree with the Court of Special Appeals that the effect of Section 5-1002(c) does not reach the situation before us, where Evans seeks to establish paternity of a child born during a marriage. We also agree with the Stubbs court that Langston does not affect our holding in Turner. As the Court of Special Appeals observed, Langston involved cases where the men who had been declared fathers in paternity judgments sought to exclude themselves as the biological fathers of children born out of wedlock. By contrast, in the present case and in Turner, the children were born in wedlock and the petitioning men sought, contrary to the presumption of marital legitimacy, to establish paternity in hopes of obtaining visitation rights. Moreover, considering the best interests standard represents the best policy for evaluating when a child born during a marriage can be ordered to undergo paternity testing. If the mandatory blood or genetic testing under Section 5-1029 could be invoked every time an individual seeks to establish paternity of a child born during a marriage, the consequences to intact families could be devastating. Without regard to the child's best interests, courts would be forced to order genetic tests of every child whose paternity is merely questioned. This would be the case even if the child is well cared for and could assert that he or she does not want his or her life to be disturbed. We do not believe that, in enacting the Paternity Proceedings of the Family Law Article, the legislature intended such an effect. Turner, therefore, remains the controlling precedent for cases such as this, where two men (one the husband of the mother and the other a stranger to the marriage) acknowledge the paternity of a child born during a marriage. We hold that the trial judge was correct to conclude that the best interests of the child governs whether to order blood or genetic testing of Kendi.