C.L.R. v. M.B.M. and R.M.

REL: March 10, 2023
Notice: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the advance sheets of Southern Reporter.
Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Alabama Appellate Courts, 300 Dexter Avenue,
Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 ((334) 229-0650), of any typographical or other errors, in order that corrections
may be made before the opinion is published in Southern Reporter.
ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2022-2023
_________________________
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_________________________
C.L.R.
v.
M.B.M. and R.M.
Appeal from Marshall Juvenile Court
(CS-22-900023)
MOORE, Judge.
C.L.R. ("the former husband") appeals from a summary judgment
entered by the Marshall Juvenile Court ("the juvenile court") in an action
to establish the paternity of G.M. ("the child"), a child born during the
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marriage of M.B.M. ("the mother") to R.M. ("the current husband"). We
reverse the judgment and remand the case with instructions.
Background and Procedural History
On February 18, 2022, the former husband filed a complaint
requesting that the juvenile court establish his paternity of the child and
render a custody and child-support determination relating to the child.
In the complaint, which named only the mother as the defendant, the
former husband alleged under oath that he and the mother had been
married from September 29, 2014, to January 29, 2015. The former
husband further alleged that the child was conceived by the parties
during their postmarital relationship and was born on April 28, 2021. At
the time of the birth of the child, the mother was married to the current
husband, who was designated as the father of the child on her birth
certificate. The mother informed the former husband that he was
actually the biological father of the child approximately seven months
after the birth of the child. The former husband met the child in
November 2021, and, following that meeting, he had many unsupervised
visits with the child and paid the mother weekly child support.
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On March 18, 2002, the mother filed an answer to the complaint,
denying all the material allegations of the complaint. On March 29, 2022,
the former husband filed a motion for genetic testing. The juvenile court
originally granted that motion on March 30, 2022, but it subsequently set
aside the order granting the motion the next day after the mother
objected. On April 27, 2002, the mother submitted to the juvenile court
an affidavit of the current husband. In his affidavit, the current husband
stated that he and the mother had conceived the child, that he had
married the mother on April 17, 2021, 11 days before the birth of the
child, that the child carried his last name, that he had executed a formal
acknowledgment of paternity of the child at the hospital following the
birth of the child, that he had taken the child into his home, that he was
the presumed father of the child, and that he would persist in his
presumption of paternity until his death.
The former husband responded to the current husband's affidavit
by filing a motion requesting that the juvenile court allow him to amend
the complaint. In his motion, the former husband argued that he could
have the acknowledgment of paternity executed by the current husband
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rescinded through the underlying paternity action. The former husband
agreed that the current husband was a presumed father of the child, but
the former husband asserted that he was also a presumed father of the
child by virtue of his having established a father-child relationship with
the child, having held the child out as his own, having been referred to
as the father of the child in some medical records, and having provided
the child with financial support; he also asserted that was persisting in
his presumption of paternity. The former husband contended that, in the
situation as it existed, the juvenile court should resolve the conflicting
presumptions of paternity and adjudicate which of the two men is the
legal father of the child.
On May 12, 2022, the juvenile court entered an order denying the
request for genetic testing and ordering the former husband to amend
the complaint to add the current husband as a defendant. The order then
states:
"Once added and served, [the current husband] may request
a hearing on the issue of whether or not [the current husband]
has persisted in his paternity of [the child]. If the Court finds
that [the current husband] has persisted in his paternity, the
case shall be dismissed. However, if the Court finds that [the
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current husband] has not persisted in his paternity of [the
child], [genetic testing] shall be ordered at that time."
On May 20, 2022, the former husband amended his complaint to add the
current husband as a defendant and to verify under oath the factual
allegations setting forth his version of the conception of the child and the
establishment of his relationship with the child, who, he said, he had
brought into his home until the mother stopped allowing him to visit with
the child. Additionally, the former husband asserted that the mother had
informed him that the current husband had had a vasectomy before the
conception of the child. The former husband also requested that the
juvenile court rescind the acknowledgment of paternity executed by the
current husband.
On June 9, 2022, the current husband filed an answer denying the
material allegations of the amended complaint and asserting his claim to
the paternity of the child. On August 15, 2022, the mother and the
current husband jointly filed a motion to set the case for trial or, in the
alternative, to dismiss the case. The former husband filed a response to
the motion; the response contained exhibits, including a badge issued by
a local hospital identifying him as a "parent" of the child, text messages
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from the mother acknowledging his paternity of the child and agreeing
to genetic testing, and photographs of him caring for the child. The
former husband also filed his affidavit in which he set forth that, after he
and the mother divorced, they had maintained a relationship and had
conceived the child, a fact that he did not know until November 2021
when he was so informed by the mother, who, he said, also told him that
it was impossible for her to have conceived the child with the current
husband. The former husband attested that, after learning of his
paternity, he had taken the child into his care, had held the child out as
his own natural child, had paid the mother child support, had visited the
child at the hospital, and had taken the child into his own home until
May 25, 2022. The former husband maintained that he was persisting in
his paternity of the child.
On September 21, 2022, the juvenile court conducted a hearing on
the motion to dismiss. At the start of the oral argument, counsel for the
current husband acknowledged that the motion to dismiss was, in
substance, a motion for a summary judgment. The parties then
proceeded to argue the merits of the motion for a summary judgment.
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The juvenile court entered a judgment on September 29, 2022 ("the final
judgment"), providing "[c]ase is hereby dismissed." The former husband
filed a postjudgment motion to alter, amend, or vacate the final judgment
on October 5, 2022. The juvenile court held a hearing on the
postjudgment motion on October 12, 2022; on that same date, before
awaiting a ruling on the postjudgment motion, the former husband filed
a notice of appeal of the final judgment, which notice was held in
abeyance until the date of disposition of the postjudgment motion. See
Rule 4(a)(5), Ala. R. App. P. The notice of appeal became effective on
October 19, 2022, when the postjudgment motion was denied by
operation of law. See Rule 1(B), Ala. R. Juv. P.; and J.J. v. R.R., 159 So.
3d 84, 85 (Ala. Civ. App. 2014) (holding that "CS" cases are governed by
the Alabama Rules of Juvenile Procedure, including Rule 1(B) providing
that a postjudgment motion may be pending for only 14 days unless that
period is extended in accordance with the rule). The juvenile court
purported to enter an order denying the postjudgment motion on
November 7, 2022, but that order was a nullity. See J.S. v. S.W., 702 So.
2d 169, 171 (Ala. Civ. App. 1997).
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Issue
Although the final judgment from which this appeal arises could be
interpreted as granting a motion to dismiss, the final judgment actually
granted the mother and the current husband's motion for a summary
judgment because the juvenile court considered evidence outside of the
pleadings. See Rule 12(b), Ala. R. Civ. P. (providing that, when a court
considers evidence outside of the pleadings when ruling on a motion to
dismiss, the motion is converted into a motion for a summary judgment);
D.K. v. S.M.S., 297 So. 3d 466, 469 (Ala. Civ. App. 2019) (applying the
reasoning underlying Rule 12(b) in a juvenile case). Thus, the issue on
appeal is whether the juvenile court erred in entering the final judgment
against the former husband on his claim to establish the paternity of the
child.
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Standard of Review
An appellate court reviews a summary judgment de novo. S.J.S. v.
B.R., 949 So. 2d 941, 944 (Ala. Civ. App. 2006). A summary judgment
may be entered only "if the pleadings, depositions, answers to
interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if
any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that
the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Rule
56(c)(3), Ala. R. Civ. P. The burden is on the party moving for a summary
judgment to make a prima facie showing that he or she is entitled to a
summary judgment by presenting evidence that, if uncontroverted at
trial, would entitle the moving party to a judgment as a matter of law.
See Ex parte General Motors Corp., 769 So. 2d 903, 909 (Ala. 1999).
Analysis
Section 26-17-204(a)(1), Ala. Code 1975, provides, in pertinent part,
that "[a] man is presumed to be the father of a child if ... (1) he and the
mother of the child are married to each other and the child is born during
the marriage." In this case, the child was born 11 days after the mother
married the current husband, making him a presumed father of the child,
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as acknowledged throughout this litigation by the former husband.
Section 26-17-607(a), Ala. Code 1975, provides, in pertinent part: "If the
presumed father persists in his status as the legal father of a child,
neither the mother nor any other individual may maintain an action to
disprove paternity."
Having been advised through the pleadings and motions of the
parties of the status of the current husband as a presumed father under
§ 26-17-204(a)(1), the juvenile court entered an order on May 12, 2022,
indicating that, once the current husband was added as a defendant in
the paternity proceedings and properly served, the juvenile court would
conduct a hearing to determine whether the current husband was
persisting in his claim to the paternity of the child. The juvenile court
indicated in the May 12, 2022, order that, if the current husband was
persisting in his claim to paternity, it would dismiss the case. The
current husband subsequently appeared in the case and filed a verified
answer in which he indicated that he was persisting in his claim of
paternity of the child, affirming the statement that he had made in his
affidavit that had been submitted to the juvenile court on April 27, 2022.
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In their motion for a summary judgment filed on August 15, 2022,
the mother and the current husband cited the May 12, 2022, order,
referred the juvenile court to the verified answer filed by the current
husband, and requested, among other things, that the juvenile court
dismiss the case on the ground that it was uncontroverted that the
current husband was persisting in his claim of paternity of the child. The
mother and the current husband did not cite any legal authority to
support the dismissal, but it is apparent that they were relying on § 26-
17-607(a).
In Ex parte Kimbrell, 180 So. 3d 30 (Ala. Civ. App. 2015), this court
recognized that, when a child has two or more presumed fathers, § 26-17-
607(a) does not apply. In that case, Amanda Kimbrell married John
Herbert in 1996. In 1997, Amanda left Herbert without divorcing him.
In 2004, she began a relationship with Denny Kimbrell. On February 24,
2006, she gave birth to a child. Denny was named as the father of the
child on the birth certificate and raised the child with Amanda. Denny
and Amanda purported to marry one another seven months after the
birth of the child, but the marriage was invalid because Amanda was still
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married to Herbert. In 2014, Amanda and Denny commenced a divorce
action, which was converted into an annulment action due to the
invalidity of their purported marriage. Denny sought a paternity
determination regarding the child born of his and the mother's
relationship. The Walker Circuit Court determined that Denny was a
presumed father of the child " 'pursuant to Sections 26-17-204(a)(4)(B) &
(C) and 26-17-204(a)(5), Ala. Code 1975,' " 180 So. 3d at 33, who was
persisting in his status as the legal father of that child and that, pursuant
to § 26-17-607(a), Amanda could not dispute his claim. Amanda filed a
petition for the writ of mandamus seeking to have the paternity
determination vacated.
On mandamus review, this court noted that, "[u]nder the unique
facts of this case, it appears that, pursuant to the applicable Alabama
statute, [§ 26-17-204, Ala. Code 1975,] the child had two presumed
fathers." 180 So. 3d at 34. This court emphasized that, when there are
two presumed fathers, § 26-17-204(b), Ala. Code 1975, governs the
determination of which of the two men shall be adjudicated the legal
father. Section 26-17-204(b) provides, in pertinent part: "In the event
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two or more conflicting presumptions arise, that which is founded upon
the weightier considerations of public policy and logic, as evidenced by
the facts, shall control." 1 Amanda asserted that, pursuant to § 26-17-
607(a), Denny could not maintain the paternity action because Herbert
was persisting in his claim of paternity. This court rejected that
argument, concluding that, even if the evidence had shown that Herbert
was persisting in his claim of paternity, that fact alone would not prevent
Denny from maintaining the paternity action because Denny was also a
presumed father who was persisting in his status as the legal father of
the child at issue. This court held that, in circumstances in which two
presumed fathers are persisting in their claims to paternity of a child,
the trial court must apply § 26-17-607(b) to resolve the dispute. This
court recognized that the Walker Circuit Court had cited § 26-17-607(a)
in concluding that Amanda could not dispute Denny's paternity of the
child at issue, but we determined that, in substance, the Walker Circuit
Court had actually, and correctly, applied § 26-17-204(b) by determining
1Section 26-17-607(b), Ala. Code 1975, contains language identical
to the language in § 26-17-204(b); thus, our analysis of § 26-17-204(b)
applies equally to § 26-17-607(b).
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that Denny, who had been the only father the child at issue had ever
known, had a weightier claim to paternity under the circumstances.
In D.I. v. I.G., 262 So. 3d 651, 659 (Ala. Civ. App. 2018), this court,
citing Ex parte Kimbrell, explained that "the field of operation of § 26-17-
204(b)[, Ala. Code 1975,] continues to be, as always, the determination of
the weightier presumption of paternity when the facts yield two or more
potential presumed fathers." (Emphasis added.) Likewise, in Ex parte
A.A., 342 So. 3d 209, 214-15 (Ala. Civ. App. 2021), this court, again
relying on Ex parte Kimbrell, explained that § 26-17-607(a) applies only
to prevent the maintenance of a paternity action when a child has only
one presumed father who persists in his status as the legal father of the
child. When, however, more than one man qualifies as a presumed
father, § 26-17-204(b) requires a juvenile court to allow the paternity
action to proceed for the purpose of determining which of the two
presumed fathers shall be adjudicated the legal father of the child based
on the factors set forth therein. See also H.A.A. v. B.J.J., [Ms. 2200928,
June 10, 2022] ___ So. 3d ___, ___ (Ala. Civ. App. 2022) (recognizing that,
when two men are both presumed fathers, § 26-17-204(b) applies).
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Admittedly, this court has not consistently followed the reasoning in Ex
parte Kimbrell, see, e.g., R.D. v. S.S., 309 So. 3d 146 (Ala. Civ. App. 2020)
(requiring biological father of child at issue to prove that husband of
mother was not persisting in a claim of paternity before allowing
evidentiary proceeding under § 26-17-204(b)); J.O.J. v. R.M., 205 So. 3d
726 (Ala. Civ. App. 2015) (denying appellant an opportunity to prove his
status as a presumed father and to an evidentiary hearing under § 26-
17-204(b) on the ground that the husband of the mother in that case was
persisting in his status as legal father of child at issue), but the weight of
authority provides that, in cases involving two or more presumed fathers,
§ 26-17-204(b) controls and not § 26-17-607(a). Consequently, the fact
that one presumed father persists in his claim of paternity does not
prevent another presumed father from maintaining a paternity action.
In their motion for a summary judgment, the mother and the
current husband presented uncontroverted evidence indicating that the
current husband was a presumed father of the child who was persisting
in his claim to the legal status of the father of the child, but that
uncontroverted evidence does not necessarily entitle them to a dismissal
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of the underlying paternity action as a matter of law. If the former
husband is also a presumed father, under Ex parte Kimbrell and its
progeny, the juvenile court would be required to allow the paternity
action to proceed to conduct an evidentiary hearing and make a paternity
adjudication in accordance with § 26-17-204(b).
The mother and the current husband did not present any evidence
designed to prove that the former husband is not a presumed father of
the child. On the other hand, the former husband maintained that he
should be considered a presumed father of the child under § 26-17-
204(a)(5), Ala. Code 1975, which provides, in pertinent part:
"(a) A man is presumed to be the father of a child if:
"....
"(5) while the child is under the age of
majority, he receives the child into his home and
openly holds out the child as his natural child or
otherwise openly holds out the child as his natural
child and establishes a significant parental
relationship with the child by providing emotional
and financial support for the child ...."
The former husband presented evidence indicating that, after learning of
his biological connection to the child, he had visited with the child
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unsupervised in his home, had publicly acknowledged his paternity of the
child, and had provided the child with care, emotional support, and
financial support. That evidence, which was not disputed by the mother
or the current husband, could establish that the former husband is also
a presumed father of the child. Thus, we hold that the juvenile court
should have afforded the former husband an evidentiary hearing for the
purposes of establishing his status as a presumed father of the child and,
if successful, for litigating whether he or the current husband should be
adjudicated the legal father of the child based on the factors set forth in
§ 26-17-204(b). The juvenile court committed reversible error by
dismissing the case instead of following that procedure.
We find no other valid legal basis in the record for affirming the
summary judgment. See Liberty Nat'l Life Ins. Co. v. University of
Alabama Health Servs. Found., P.C., 881 So. 2d 1013, 1020 (Ala. 2003)
(permitting an appellate court to "affirm the trial court['s judgment] on
any valid legal ground presented by the record, regardless of whether
that ground was considered, or even if it was rejected, by the trial court").
The mother and the current husband did not assert that they were
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entitled to a judgment as a matter of law based on the status of the
current husband as an acknowledged father. Even if they had, that
argument would not have prevailed. An acknowledgment, in compliance
with the form set forth in § 26-17-302 and § 26-17-312, Ala. Code 1975,2
2Section 26-17-302, Ala. Code 1975, provides:
"(a) An acknowledgment of paternity must:
"(1) be in a record filed with the Alabama
Office of Vital Statistics;
"(2) be signed, and notarized, under penalty
of perjury by the mother and by the man seeking
to establish his paternity;
"(3) state that the child whose paternity is
being acknowledged:
"(A) does not have a presumed
father or the man executing the
acknowledgment is the presumed
father; and
"(B) does not have another
acknowledged or adjudicated father;
"(4) state whether there has been genetic
testing and, if so, that the acknowledging man's
claim of paternity is consistent with the results of
the testing; and
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when executed by both the mother and the acknowledged father is
"considered a legal finding of paternity" of the child when properly filed
with the Alabama Office of Vital Statistics. See § 26-17-305, Ala. Code
1975. The mother and the current husband failed to present any evidence
indicating that the form complied with the applicable statutes, that the
mother had executed the acknowledgment in addition to the current
"(5) state that the signatories understand
that the acknowledgment shall be considered a
legal finding of paternity of the child and that a
challenge to the acknowledgment is permitted only
as provided in this chapter.
"(b) A presumed father may sign an acknowledgment of
paternity which must be notarized."
Section 26-17-312, Ala. Code 1975, provides:
"(a) To facilitate compliance with this article, the
Alabama Department of Human Resources shall prescribe
forms for the acknowledgment of paternity. The affidavit shall
include the Social Security number and current address of
each parent, a listing of the rights and responsibilities of
acknowledging paternity, including the duty to financially
support the child, and instruction for filing the affidavit with
the Office of Vital Statistics.
"(b) A valid acknowledgment of paternity is not affected
by a later modification of the prescribed form."
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husband, or that the acknowledgment had been properly filed, so the
record contains no evidence indicating that the acknowledgment, which,
we note, was not filed with the juvenile court, has any legal effect.
Moreover, the Alabama Uniform Parentage Act, § 26-17-101 et seq., Ala.
Code 1975, does not provide that an acknowledgment of paternity
precludes another man from disproving the paternity of an acknowledged
father. To the contrary, a party that is not a signatory to the
acknowledgment "may maintain a proceeding at any time after the
effective date of the acknowledgment if the court determines that it is in
the best interest of the child." § 26-17-609(b), Ala. Code 1975. Under the
circumstances of this case, we cannot say that the acknowledgment
entitles the mother and the current husband to a judgment as a matter
of law.
Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, the final judgment entered by the
juvenile court is reversed and the case is remanded to the juvenile court.
On remand, the juvenile court is instructed to vacate the final judgment,
to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the former
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husband is a presumed father of the child and, if so, whether he or the
current husband should be adjudicated the legal father of the child in
accordance with § 26-17-204(b), and to take such other actions as are
consistent with this opinion.
REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
Thompson, P.J., and Edwards, Hanson, and Fridy, JJ., concur.
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