Court Opinion

ID: 9793803
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:53:17.698725+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:06:57.625882
License: Public Domain

HALL, Justice
(concurring):
As I read Section 78-12-22, U.C.A.1953, an action for support of dependent children due or to become due is limited to eight years1 and such is consistent with the interpretation of said section set forth in Martinez v. Romero.2 However, this section pertains only to the issue of support and maintenance and does not encompass determinations of paternity which are separately and specifically provided for in Section 78-45a-l, ff, U.C.A.1953 (Uniform Act on Paternity), and while there is no limitation as to when a suit may be instituted to determine paternity, Section 3 thereof provides:
The father’s liabilities for past education and necessary support are limited to a period of four years next preceding the commencement of an action.
It is therefore clear that the Legislature has seen fit to specifically provide an eight year statute of limitations on the recovery of support and maintenance generally, but where paternity has not been determined and is in dispute such must first be determined and recovery of support and maintenance is then limited to the period of four years next preceding the commencement of the paternity action.
This interpretation is in conflict with Martinez v. Romero, supra, which held an action to determine paternity could not be brought at any time and apparently failed to take into consideration the four year limitation on enforcement of support set forth in Sec. 3, supra.

. See prior interpretations of this Court in Seeley v. Park, Utah, 532 P.2d 684 (1975), and Openshaw v. Openshaw, 105 Utah 574, 144 P.2d 528 (1943).

. Utah, 558 P.2d 510 (1976).