Opinion ID: 1895933
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the best interests of a child in regards to custody, visitation and support may be determined in a paternity action.

Text: ¶ 12. The Court of Appeals answered this issue in the negative and held that paternity actions were limited to issues of biology and support. Griffith v. Pell, 881 So.2d 227, 229, 231, 2003 WL 22038733, at  2, 4 (Miss.Ct.App.2003). The Court of Appeals stated: Current case law provides that paternity suits have limited purposes. Where scientific evidence points overwhelmingly towards one man as the father of a child, paternity is established, and the only matter left to resolve in the paternity action is that of support. Rafferty v. Perkins, 757 So.2d 992, 996 (Miss.2000).    The best interest of the child standard is to be applied when determining custody issues, such as in a divorce proceeding. Although a natural parent is entitled to custody of a minor child, there are circumstances under which that entitlement may be set aside in favor of a third party, including stepparent. That, however, is a matter better resolved in the appeal of the Pell divorce proceedings and not in the Griffith paternity action. Id. at 230-31, at  (citations omitted). We agree. Paternity actions are about biology. However, it also important to note that custody issues such as visitation and support issues are routinely decided in paternity actions, as they were in Sue Ann Pell's paternity action against Griffith here, such that conflicts arise which may eventually necessitate consideration of the best interests of the child. Yet, a paternity action is not the most convenient or appropriate forum for determining the best interests of the child where custody actions are arranged to effectively and exhaustively address the issue. The best interests of the minor child at the heart of this action was best addressed in the divorce proceeding or in a separate custody action, not in the paternity action.