Opinion ID: 2400316
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Petition Seeking the Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights in Robert R. Young

Text: Appellant Judith (Young) Goodling's petition under Section 311(3) of the Adoption Act, supra, fails in that the facts as proven on the record are insufficient to establish that appellee is the presumptive but not the natural father of Robert Dale Young. Mrs. Goodling had petitioned the court below to order appellee to submit to the taking of blood grouping tests along with the child and both appellants. That court correctly refused to make such an order on the ground that the doctrine of estoppel bars Mrs. Goodling's present action questioning the paternity of her son. Pennsylvania has enacted the Uniform Act on Blood Tests to Determine Paternity, Act of 1961, July 13, P.L. 587, § 1 et seq. ; 28 P.S. § 307.1 et seq., in the belief that such tests, which make possible a scientifically reliable determination excluding paternity, may be helpful in those actions in which paternity . . . is a relevant fact, . . . [4] Prior legislation in Pennsylvania granting the authority for court-ordered submission to blood grouping tests was held applicable only to bastardy proceedings. See Act of 1951, May 24, P.L. 402, § 1; 28 P.S. § 306; Commonwealth ex rel. O'Brien v. O'Brien, 390 Pa. 551, 136 A.2d 451 (1957). Whereas the 1951 Act spoke in terms of proceedings to establish paternity, however the 1961 Uniform Act makes reference to use of blood tests in actions in which paternity is a relevant fact. In Commonwealth ex rel. Goldman v. Goldman, 199 Pa. Super. 274, 184 A.2d 351 (1962), the Superior Court held that the Act's new language extended the evidentiary use of blood tests to child support proceedings where the minor child was born during wedlock. It cannot be doubted that the instant action before us today is also one in which paternity is a relevant fact and therefore that the 1961 Uniform Act is applicable. The right to question paternity is not unlimited however. The Superior Court first articulated the notion of restricting a party's right to request blood grouping tests under the 1961 Uniform Act in order to exclude the possibility of paternity in Commonwealth ex rel. Goldman v. Goldman, supra . Petitioner-wife had filed an action against her estranged husband in Goldman seeking support for herself and her three minor children born during wedlock. The defendant's response was to deny paternity of the two younger children and to request a court order requiring the parties to submit to blood grouping tests. While the Superior Court affirmed the lower court's authorization of the blood tests in that particular case, Judge Woodside's majority opinion noted the appropriateness of invoking the doctrine of estoppel against a husband who has accepted his wife's child and held it out as his own over a period of time, . . . 199 Pa.Super. at 283, 184 A.2d at 355. [4a] The doctrine of estoppel suggested in Goldman was expounded upon and applied in Commonwealth ex rel. Weston v. Weston, 201 Pa.Super. 554, 193 A.2d 782 (1963). The Superior Court was motivated by the belief that children, especially older children, cognizant of the purpose and import of blood grouping tests, should not be made to cope with unanswerable doubt as to paternity unless circumstances are presented to the court other than a mere allegation [denying paternity] by an irate man who previously had been known to the child and the world as its father. Id. at 556, 193 A.2d at 783. The court reversed the lower court's summary grant of the defendant-husband's petition seeking blood tests in that support case, stating: Here, the defendant had lived with his wife for several years after the birth of both children. There is no suggestion that he did not accept them as his children prior to filing his petition. [. . .] We think [the lower court] should have refused the petition of the defendant, at least until it was shown that the defendant had not supported and accepted these children as his own. Id. at 557-558, 193 A.2d at 783. Later, the Superior Court had occasion to reaffirm the reasoning developed in Weston and again applied the doctrine of estoppel after noting that since the Weston decision, neither the legislature nor this Court had acted contrary to such application of the doctrine in cases involving the 1961 Uniform Act. In Commonwealth ex rel. Hall v. Hall, 215 Pa.Super. 24, 257 A.2d 269 (1969), defendant Albert Hall had alleged in his petition seeking blood grouping tests an adulterous relationship existent between his ex-wife and a certain named male beginning prior to the birth of the subject minor child such as to give Mr. Hall reasonable grounds to doubt that Lisa was his daughter. The Superior Court ruled that court-ordered blood grouping tests were inappropriate where the estranged couple had not separated until the child, born while they cohabited, was over two years of age. The court continued: During that period [the daughter's] paternity was never challenged, and there is no suggestion that Albert did not accept Lisa as his own child. Indeed, he executed a separation agreement by the terms of which he acknowledged that Lisa was his daughter, provided for her support, and made extensive arrangements for visitation rights. Since the doctrine of estoppel has been written into the Uniform Act, it should be applied in the instant factual situation. Id. at 29, 257 A.2d 271. [5] (Emphasis added). The instant appeal wherein appellant Judith Goodling seeks under Section 311(3) of the Adoption Act to terminate the parental relationship between her former husband and the child born during the period of that marriage is novel. Prior judicial interpretation of Sections 311(1) and 311(2) actions seeking the involuntary termination of parental rights on the grounds of abandonment and neglect respectively provides us with the initial postulate that, in view of the irreversible nature and serious emotional impact which necessarily follows an involuntary termination of parental rights, we must proceed most gingerly. See, In re Orwick's Adoption, 464 Pa. 549, 555, 347 A.2d 677, 680 (1975); In re Fritz, 460 Pa. 265, 271, 333 A.2d 466, 469 (1975); In re Adoption of McAhren, 460 Pa. 63, 68, 331 A.2d 419, 422 (1975); Sarver Adoption Case, 444 Pa. 507, 509-10, 281 A.2d 890, 891 (1971). As we have already stated, the 1961 Uniform Act is applicable to a Section 311(3) action. Prior appellate case law reviewing authorization of court-ordered blood tests under the 1961 Uniform Act, which we note parenthetically has also not yet been passed upon by this Court to date, has dealt with situations where husbands seeking to avoid support obligations by denying paternity petitioned for the taking of blood grouping tests. We believe the Superior Court's decisions in the series of cases beginning with Goldman however are applicable to Mrs. Goodling's present appeal. Mrs. Goodling cohabited with appellee Young as his wife prior to and for five months following the birth of Robert Dale. Although after separating from Young in March of 1970 she took up residence with Mr. Goodling, the man she now claims to be the natural father of her child, nevertheless, Mrs. Goodling accepted and cashed child support money from the appellee up until at least June of 1973. For one full year thereafter, she accepted appellee's support payments, accumulating them until June of 1974 at which time she returned his checks without explanation. The August 1971 separation agreement between Mrs. Goodling and the appellee refers to the latter as the father of Robert Dale. We cannot condone the Goodlings' actions in continuing to accept child support from appellee for over three years, while today, married, they conveniently allege that all along they believed Robert Goodling to be the natural father of the child. Were the situation reversed and appellee Young to answer today in a proceeding against him seeking to enforce support payments for the minor child under the 1971 separation agreement, there is no doubt that the doctrine of estoppel would prevent his belated questioning of paternity. Moreover, we heavily stress the fact that while Mrs. Goodling well had the earlier opportunity to allege that Young was not the natural father of the child during the April 1973 habeas corpus proceeding, she remained silent. The final Order awarding custody of the child in Mrs. Goodling and temporary custody with visitation rights in Robert Young acknowledges appellee as the natural father of the child. [5a] It is of no avail to the Goodlings today to claim that fear of losing custody of the child back in 1973 due to their living arrangements motivated their silence. The doctrine of collateral estoppel most certainly acts to bar appellant Judith Goodling's present action questioning the paternity of her son. Cf. Commonwealth ex rel. Nedzwecky v. Nedzwecky, 203 Pa.Super. 179, 199 A.2d 490 (1964); Burrell Adoption, 57 Pa.D. & C.2d 74 (1974); Jensen v. Jensen, 13 N.J.Super. 155, 80 A.2d 244 (1951). As an aside, we lastly feel it important to mention that no reasonable inference can be taken from the fact that appellee Young has exercised his right and prerogative to refuse to submit voluntarily to blood grouping tests. It may well be his feeling that after all of these years, he declines to dignify the Goodlings' accusations with such a response. Appellee Young has maintained and lovingly carried out his duties as Robert Dale's father, accepting the child as his natural offspring since birth. Likewise, as far as concerns the child's world, appellee is his father and he is entitled to maintain faith in and gather strength from that important relationship.