Opinion ID: 901772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: [¶ 2.] Brandt and White met in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where they both resided. They began an intimate relationship but never married. They had a child, C.B., in March of 1992. In February 1993, White applied for benefits from the South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS) and assigned her right to child support payments to the State. [¶ 3.] On August 30, 1993, Brandt was personally served with a summons and complaint alleging that he was the father of the child and owed $284 in child support per month. The complaint also requested child support arrearages from the time of the child's birth. [¶ 4.] Brandt contacted the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and met with the OCSE officer assigned to his case. He said he had been making support payments to White and requested a DNA test. He also spoke with the legal assistant to an attorney with OCSE and again requested DNA testing. Before DNA testing could be conducted, White left the state. Brandt received a letter from OCSE dated September 3, 1993, informing him that his case was being closed since White had left the state. [1] It also informed him that if White returned to South Dakota and received assistance, the State would again seek reimbursement. [¶ 5.] In July of 1994, Brandt moved to Tempe, Arizona. On December 21, 1994, Brandt was personally served at his residence in Arizona with a second summons and complaint. This complaint alleged that Brandt owed $368 per month in child support, plus arrearages. [¶ 6.] Brandt did not respond to this complaint and a default judgment was entered on February 21, 1995. The default judgment declared Brandt the biological father of C.B., set his child support at $368 a month, and set the arrearages at $12,572. [2] Instead of mailing the notice of entry of the default judgment to Brandt's Tempe, Arizona residence, it was mailed to 301 South Willow Street in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, his parent's residence. Brandt learned of this judgment, however, because he referenced the order of default judgment in his March 13, 1995, letter to the OCSE, in which he again requested DNA testing. OCSE informed Brandt that it required a court order for DNA testing because a judgment had been issued. Furthermore, Brandt was advised to contact an attorney and that collection of his support obligation would continue. [¶ 7.] At some point Brandt moved to Merida, Mexico. One day, Brandt received a phone call from a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who informed him there was a federal felony warrant for his arrest for failure to pay child support. Brandt moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in August or September of 2003. Upon his return, he voluntarily turned himself in to the FBI. [¶ 8.] On September 12, 2003, Brandt pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 228 for failure to pay lawful child support. He was sentenced in November of 2003 to five years of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $49,123.25 for back child support, in payments of not less than $106 a month. [¶ 9.] On September 23, 2003, Brandt petitioned for modification of his child support. In his petition, he noted that he was the parent of C.B. After a hearing in front of a child support referee, his support obligation was reduced to $320 a month. [¶ 10.] Brandt filed a motion for relief from the default judgment on March 26, 2007. At the hearing, he argued that the default judgment was void under S.D.CL 15-6-60(b)(4). He alleged the judgment was void because the State did not give him notice of its application for a default judgment. He argued that he was entitled to notice because he made an appearance in the proceeding by requesting a DNA test from the OCSE officer and the legal assistant to the attorney for OCSE. The circuit court denied his motion. Brandt appeals.