Court Opinion

ID: 9702769
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:23:03.733592+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:41.477964
License: Public Domain

Concurring Statement by
CIRILLO, President Judge Emeritus:
I agree with the result reached by the majority decision today. I write separately, however, to propose that our society has embarked upon an era in which the usefulness of the presumption of legitimacy as a legal tool must be questioned. Overcoming the presumption is fast becoming virtually impossible. Advancements in technology, in all its forms, medicine to air travel, have muddled clear and convincing rebuttal. The weakening rebuttal necessarily alters the substance of the presumption.
It is my opinion that the protection of the traditional family unit need not be dictated by the presumption; the protection of the family, where one exists, is the goal of the statutory and case law governing paternity. We need not cling to timeworn principles to support that goal. I believe a careful analysis of each factual situation, in particular the relationship between the presumptive or putative father and child, as well as the “known factor” of a putative father against whom a support claim may be made, is necessary to fair and just application of paternity law.