Court Opinion

ID: 9958337
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-08 21:03:59.906344+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:12.427344
License: Public Domain

2024 IL App (5th) 210248-U
            NOTICE
                                                                                          NOTICE
 Decision filed 04/08/24. The
                                                                               This order was filed under
 text of this decision may be               NO. 5-21-0248
                                                                               Supreme Court Rule 23 and is
 changed or corrected prior to
 the filing of a Petition for                                                  not precedent except in the

 Rehearing or the disposition of
                                                IN THE                         limited circumstances allowed
 the same.                                                                     under Rule 23(e)(1).
                                   APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

                               FIFTH DISTRICT
______________________________________________________________________________

AUSTIN BREITER,                                 )     Appeal from the
                                                )     Circuit Court of
      Petitioner-Appellant,                     )     St. Clair County.
                                                )
v.                                              )     No. 14-F-717
                                                )
DENA SANTORO,                                   )     Honorable
                                                )     Alana I. Mejias,
      Respondent-Appellee.                      )     Judge, presiding.
______________________________________________________________________________

          JUSTICE WELCH delivered the judgment of the court.
          Justices Barberis and McHaney concurred in the judgment.

                                             ORDER

¶1        Held: The circuit court properly denied petitioner’s petition for a finding of nonpaternity
                filed more than six years after he executed a voluntary acknowledgment of
                paternity. The court properly found that petitioner did not prove that respondent
                fraudulently concealed from him the fact that he was not the biological father where
                neither party knew until petitioner obtained a DNA test; respondent forfeited his
                contention that the statute denies him equal protection and his contention is without
                merit in any event.

¶2        Petitioner, Austin Breiter, appeals the circuit court’s order denying his “Petition for Non-

Paternity.” He contends that the court’s finding that respondent, Dena Santoro, did not fraudulently

conceal from him the fact that he was not the father of her daughter, Skyler B., was against the

manifest weight of the evidence. He alternatively contends that the statute barring him from

revoking a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity absent such fraud is unconstitutional. We

affirm.

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¶3                                      BACKGROUND

¶4     Respondent gave birth to Skyler in 2014. Petitioner signed a voluntary acknowledgement

of paternity. He obtained court-ordered visitation with Skyler and paid child support. In 2020, he

filed the petition at issue, alleging that DNA testing had excluded him as Skyler’s father.

¶5     On January 15, 2021, the court conducted a hearing on the petition. Respondent, called as

an adverse witness, testified that she told petitioner in October 2020 that Matt Gendron was

Skyler’s father. She had been unaware of this until petitioner informed her of the DNA results.

Before that, she believed that petitioner was Skyler’s father because “she looks like him.” Since

November 2020, Skyler had been in respondent’s mother’s custody.

¶6     Petitioner testified that in 2013 respondent sent him a text message stating that she was

pregnant and that he was the father. He believed her at that time. He became suspicious when he

learned that respondent had gotten pregnant twice and did not know who the fathers were. As a

result, he completed a home DNA test and sent it to a laboratory which informed him that there

was a 0% chance that he was Skyler’s father. He then informed respondent, who told him that

Gendron was likely the father.

¶7     Petitioner believed that the original statement that he was the father was a lie. Until he

informed respondent of the DNA results, he had never been told that he was not the father. After

he informed respondent about the DNA test, she confronted Gendron. Petitioner had been paying

child support regularly and wanted it either terminated or sent directly to respondent’s mother.

¶8     In her case-in-chief, respondent testified that she had encouraged petitioner to get a

paternity test prior to Skyler’s birth. He refused, saying “That’s my kid regardless.” He signed “all

the papers” so that he could sign the birth certificate.

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¶9     She believed petitioner was the father the entire time. She “questioned it little bit” when

she initially got pregnant but discounted the possibility because she and Gendron “only hooked up

one time” and “the dates didn’t match up at all.” Moreover, Skyler did not resemble Gendron.

¶ 10   The court noted that a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity must be challenged within

two years unless the party proves by clear and convincing evidence that he was under a legal

disability or duress, or that critical facts were fraudulently concealed. The court found the only

exception potentially applicable was fraudulent concealment. However, petitioner failed to prove

fraudulent concealment by clear and convincing evidence, as both parties believed that he was the

father. The court noted that petitioner had “every opportunity” to do a DNA test at the time of

Skyler’s birth but declined. He instead executed the acknowledgment of paternity. The parties

subsequently appeared in court several times. Petitioner requested visitation, a joint parenting

order was entered, and child support was ordered, but petitioner never disputed that he was the

father. The court thus denied the petition but terminated petitioner’s child-support obligation

because Skyler no longer resided with respondent, but with respondent’s mother.

¶ 11   Petitioner moved to reconsider, arguing for the first time that the statute requiring a parent

who signed a voluntary acknowledgement to seek rescission within two years absent fraud but

permitting a biological father to establish a parent-child relationship at any time violates equal

protection. The court denied the motion without comment. Petitioner timely appeals.

¶ 12                                     ANALYSIS

¶ 13   Petitioner first contends that the circuit court’s finding that he failed to prove fraudulent

concealment was against the manifest weight of the evidence. We disagree.

¶ 14   Respondent has not filed a brief. Nevertheless, we may decide this appeal without the

benefit of an appellee’s brief. See First Capitol Mortgage Corp. v. Talandis Construction Corp.,

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63 Ill. 2d 128, 133 (1976) (a reviewing court can decide the merits of the appeal where the record

is simple and the claimed errors can be decided without the aid of an appellee’s brief).

¶ 15   Shortly after Skyler’s birth, petitioner signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity.

See 750 ILCS 46/301 (West 2020). Once executed:

                “(a) A voluntary acknowledgment and any related denial may be challenged only on

       the basis of fraud, duress, or material mistake of fact by filing a verified petition under this

       Section within 2 years after the effective date of the voluntary acknowledgment or denial,

       as provided in Section 304 of this Act. Time during which the person challenging the

       voluntary acknowledgment or denial is under legal disability or duress or the ground for

       relief is fraudulently concealed shall be excluded in computing the period of 2 years.” Id.

       § 309.

¶ 16   Petitioner does not contend that he was under a legal disability or duress. He claims only

that he established that respondent fraudulently concealed from him that Gendron was Skyler’s

biological father. However, the court’s finding to the contrary was not against the manifest weight

of the evidence.

¶ 17   Following a bench trial, we will not reverse the trial court’s judgment unless it is against

the manifest weight of the evidence. Smith, Allen, Mendenhall, Emons & Selby v. Thomson Corp.,

371 Ill. App. 3d 556, 558 (2006). A judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence only

when an opposite conclusion is apparent or when findings appear to be unreasonable, arbitrary, or

not based upon the evidence presented at the trial. Id.

¶ 18   To establish fraudulent concealment, a party must “ ‘allege facts demonstrating that his

opponent affirmatively attempted to prevent the discovery of the purported grounds for relief and

must offer factual allegations demonstrating his good faith and reasonable diligence in trying to

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uncover such matters before trial or within the limitations period.’ ” People v. Coleman, 206 Ill.

2d 261, 290-91 (2002) (quoting People v. McLaughlin, 324 Ill. App. 3d 909, 918 (2001)).

¶ 19   Here, there was evidence that respondent truly believed that petitioner was Skyler’s father

until the DNA results proved otherwise. She testified that she had sex with Gendron only one time

and that “the dates didn’t match up at all.” Moreover, she thought that Skyler resembled petitioner.

Only when petitioner confronted her with the DNA test did she begin to suspect that Gendron

might be the father.

¶ 20   Petitioner points to respondent’s testimony that she “questioned it a little bit” at the time,

but her having doubts that petitioner was the father is a far cry from taking affirmative steps to

conceal the truth. In fact, the court could reasonably credit respondent’s testimony that she

encouraged petitioner to take a DNA test before he executed the acknowledgement.

¶ 21   Petitioner attempts to liken this case to In re Marriage of Sparks, 2018 IL App (1st)

180932, but both the legal issue and the nature of the evidence render that case distinguishable.

There, the husband filed a petition pursuant to section 205 of the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015

(Act) (750 ILCS 46/205 (West 2016)). That section allows an action to declare the nonexistence

of a parent-child relationship to be brought by a party presumed to be a parent by virtue of his

marriage to the child’s mother. Id. §§ 204(a), 205(a). Such an action “shall be barred if brought

later than 2 years after the petitioner knew or should have known of the relevant facts.” Id.

§ 205(b).

¶ 22   The trial court found that the husband did not know that the child was not his until his ex-

wife told him sometime after their marriage was dissolved (despite evidence that the mother knew

at the time of the child’s birth who the father was). Thus, per the trial court’s credibility findings,

the evidence established that the husband “knew or should have known” only after the wife told

                                                  5
him. The evidence in this case likewise shows that respondent only recently told him that he was

not the father. However, petitioner had to meet a higher standard in this case by proving fraudulent

concealment. Here, the court reasonably concluded that both parties honestly believed that

petitioner was the father and there was no evidence of fraudulent concealment.

¶ 23   Petitioner also relies on the dissent from Ptaszek v. Michalek, 238 Ill. App. 3d 72 (1992).

There, more than two years after executing an agreed order of paternity, following a fight with the

child’s mother, the father sought to vacate the paternity order. The majority noted that the father

had the opportunity to take a paternity test at the time of the child’s birth; the mother did nothing

to prevent this. Id. at 78 (citing In re Marriage of Halas, 173 Ill. App. 3d 218, 224 (1988) (silence

alone is not fraudulent concealment and the issue of fraudulent concealment is necessarily

analyzed in the context of the due diligence requirement)).

¶ 24   The court found, however, that the husband failed to exercise due diligence, but rather did

the opposite:

       “The parties’ short-lived affair was casual and Michalik married another man within

       months of the baby’s birth. Instead of questioning his paternal standing, Ptaszek did

       everything possible to assure that Erik would be regarded by all as his natural son. ***

                The sole testimony in support of the alleged fraud was that Michalik first told Ptaszek

       that the child was his and then years later, during an argument, said the opposite. Both

       statements, necessarily, are at the most opinions; as long as Michalik had more than one

       sexual partner during the period of conception there was no way for anyone to be absolutely

       certain of paternity, particularly without blood tests or other evidence that neither party

       sought in the original paternity action. Therefore, we find that Ptaszek failed to establish a

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       knowingly false statement of material fact on which he had the right to rely.” (Emphasis in

       original.) Id.

¶ 25   The court further noted:

       “Ptaszek insisted on a judicial declaration of the very fact he now says he was precluded

       from ascertaining or disproving because of Michalik’s fraud. We cannot approve such a

       solecism. From the time of Erik’s birth, Ptaszek’s aims were to acknowledge paternity, pay

       support, and sustain the father-child relationship through visitation. He had access to all

       the relevant facts except whether Michalik had other sexual partners. He chose not to

       question his fatherhood at a time when, if biological paternity was the true concern, he

       might have spared an innocent child much pain. We find it illogical and disturbing that

       Ptaszek now insists that he was defrauded, misled, or otherwise prevented from learning

       the ‘true’ facts of Erik’s biological paternity.” Id. at 79.

¶ 26   The dissent, by contrast, appears to have concluded that because the mother failed to reveal

that she had sex with multiple partners prior to her son’s birth, this amounted to fraudulent

concealment. The dissent appears to disregard the principle that mere silence is not fraudulent

concealment as no evidence was presented that the mother knew that one of her other partners was

the father and prevented Ptaszek from learning this.

¶ 27   Even if we were persuaded by the dissent, however, the evidence in this case was different.

Respondent’s testimony, which the trial court apparently credited, was that she honestly believed

that petitioner was the father. She stated that she only had sex with Gendron one time and did not

believe that the timing was right. Moreover, she believed that Skyler resembled petitioner and not

Gendron. Obviously, respondent was wrong but that is not the issue. A mere mistake is not

fraudulent concealment. There was no evidence that respondent knew Gendron was the father and

                                                  7
affirmatively concealed this fact from petitioner. To the contrary, she testified without

contradiction that she encouraged petitioner to take a paternity test. This should have at least

alerted him that there was at least a possibility that he was not the father. However, the evidence

showed that, as in Ptaszek, petitioner wanted to be seen as Skyler’s father regardless of the “ ‘true’

facts” surrounding her parentage.

¶ 28    Petitioner next contends that the statutory scheme violates his right to equal protection. We

note initially that petitioner raised the constitutionality of the statute for the first time in his motion

to reconsider. The purpose of a motion to reconsider is to make the trial court aware of newly

discovered evidence, changes in the law, or that court’s misapplication of existing law. North River

Insurance Co. v. Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co., 369 Ill. App. 3d 563, 572 (2006). As a result,

any arguments raised for the first time in a motion to reconsider are forfeited unless they fall within

the proper purpose of a motion to reconsider. City of Rockford v. Joudeh, 2023 IL App (4th)

220036-U, ¶ 46.

¶ 29    Moreover, the argument is not fully developed in petitioner’s brief in this court. See In re

P.S., 2021 IL App (5th) 210027, ¶ 57 (“ ‘A reviewing court is entitled to the benefit of clearly

defined issues with pertinent authority cited and a cohesive legal argument. *** The appellate

court is not a depository in which an appellant may dump the entire matter of argument and

research.’ ” (quoting Wing v. Chicago Transit Authority, 2016 IL App (1st) 153517, ¶ 11)).

¶ 30    Statutes are presumed constitutional, and the party challenging the constitutionality of a

statute carries the burden of proving that the statute is unconstitutional. People v. Aguilar, 2013 IL

112116, ¶ 15. The constitutionality of a statute is a question of law that we review de novo. Id.

¶ 31    The equal protection clause (U.S. Const., amend. XIV) guarantees that similarly situated

individuals will be treated similarly unless the government can demonstrate an appropriate reason

                                                    8
to treat them differently. In re Destiny P., 2017 IL 120796, ¶ 14. Petitioner argues that one who

has signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity may not revoke it after two years without an

extraordinary showing while a biological father may petition to establish his paternity at any time.

Petitioner does not explain why someone who has voluntarily proclaimed himself a child’s father

and a biological parent seeking to establish a relationship with his child are similarly situated and

does not cite any case in support of such a proposition. One is trying to establish a parent-child

relationship while the other is trying to terminate his parental responsibilities. This fact alone

provides a rational basis for treating them differently.

¶ 32   “[A] valid voluntary acknowledgment filed with the Department of Healthcare and Family

Services, as provided by law, is equivalent to an adjudication of the parentage of a child and

confers upon the acknowledged father all of the rights and duties of a parent.” 750 ILCS 46/305(a)

(West 2020). Moreover, a voluntary acknowledgment “has the full force and effect of a judgment

entered” under the Act. Id. § 305(b). Because it is a judgment, the policy favoring the finality of

judgments limits the circumstances under which it can be collaterally attacked. Cf. 735 ILCS 5/2-

1401 (West 2020).

¶ 33   Signing a voluntary acknowledgement estops the party from even requesting a paternity

test. 8 Nichols, Illinois Civil Practice § 135:17 (citing 750 ILCS 46/609(c) (West 2020)).

Moreover, contrary to petitioner’s assertion, a voluntary acknowledgement prevents even a party

claiming to be the biological father from establishing his paternity after two years. 750 ILCS

46/609(b) (West 2020).

¶ 34   A more relevant comparison for equal-protection purposes would be a biological father

who has been acknowledged as such. One who executes a voluntary acknowledgement becomes

the child’s parent to the same extent as one who is found to be the parent on the basis of genetic

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testing. In either case, the child needs the stability and support of having an acknowledged father.

The law thus treats them equally, providing that neither may simply change his mind and

discontinue parental responsibilities.

¶ 35                                     CONCLUSION

¶ 36   For the reasons stated, we affirm the circuit court’s judgment.

¶ 37   Affirmed.

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