Opinion ID: 1741945
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial court erred when the court disregarded the testimony of angela's expert witness's paternity tests.

Text: ¶ 14. Angella's expert, Dr. Scales, testified that there is a 98.63 chance that Chambers was Shabaz's father. He also stated that the odds were 72 to 1 that Chambers was the father. He based his tests on Chambers birth records and medical records of his treatment for sickle cell anemia. Based on the information available to Scales, he said that he could not provide a more exact number. When asked by the court if it was his professional opinion that Chambers was the father, he stated: I'm just uncomfortable saying in my personal, in my professional opinion this man is the father of this child. I think the balance, the evidence on balance certainly is pre DNA, maybe 15 or 20 years ago 72 was a pretty good number. Now it is not. No, that is not true. It is just not as powerful as if we'd had a lot of genetic systems we could have tested... . We just say he can't be excluded. That is a hedge because you can never prove with 100%. Dr. Scales proceeded to testify that he would only opine that Chambers was the father if the odds were 400 or 500 to 1 that he was the father. The Chancellor was troubled by this testimony, and stated that if Angella's own expert could not state that it was his opinion that Chambers was the father, then the proof fell short of the clear and convincing evidence standard required by Mississippi Code Annotated § 91-1-15(c). The Chancellor failed to realize that it is common for experts in paternity cases to refuse to render an opinion. Instead, the expert gives the probability that paternity is likely. See Grimsley v. Tyner, 454 So.2d 482 (Miss. 1984). ¶ 15. The Chancellor also failed to address Miss. Code Ann. § 93-9-27(2), which states that if the probability of paternity is 98 percent or higher that a man is the father, then there is a rebuttable presumption that he is the father. In this case, Dr. Scales testified that the probability of paternity was 98.63%. This presumption can only be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-9-27(2)(1994). The Chancellor was remiss in not considering the statutory presumption, nor does it appear that Jackson overcame this presumption. The Chancellor should reevaluate his assessment of Dr. Scales' testimony in light of the presumption set forth in Mississippi Code Annotated § 93-9-27(2) and the results of any blood tests conducted on King, and the brothers Anderson.