Opinion ID: 1099104
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Heading: The Legislative History of Paternity Actions

Text: Before the Constitution became effective in 1845, the territorial law in Florida included the Bastardy Act of 1828. This act permitted a single woman to bring a bastardy complaint against the alleged father of her illegitimate child. The alleged father was then brought before a justice of the peace and required to post bond to ensure his appearance in court. Under the Act, the issue of paternity was to be tried before a jury and if paternity was established, the father was required to pay birth expenses and child support. In 1893, the Act was amended to permit the father to be imprisoned for a maximum of one year if he refused or failed to comply with a judgment in a bastardy proceeding. The form of the Act remained unchanged until 1951 when the arrest and imprisonment provisions were removed from the statute, and the proceeding was established as a civil one in which an unmarried woman could bring a paternity proceeding in equity. The arrest and imprisonment provisions were replaced with a ne exeat process in which the court, in its discretion, could issue a writ of ne exeat conditioned on a bond to guarantee the presence of the defendant within the state. In addition, the statute provided that the issue of paternity was to be determined by the court except that, [u]pon request of either party, the issue of the paternity of such child [could] be tried by jury. § 742.031, Fla. Stat. (1953). If the defendant in the paternity action was found to be the father of the child, he was required to pay birth expenses in addition to child support. In 1986, the legislature amended the statute again, this time changing the language of the statute by (1) removing the provision for trial by jury upon request so that the issue of paternity would be determined solely by the judge and (2) broadening the statute to permit any man who has reason to believe he is the father of a child to bring a paternity proceeding. § 742.011, Fla. Stat. (Supp. 1986). Additionally, the statute provides that if paternity is established, the court shall order payment of birth expenses and payment of child support by either or both parents.