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Constitutional Law Keyed to Maggs
Clark v. Jeter
Citation:
486 U.S. 456 (1988)Facts
Under Pennsylvania law, an illegitimate child must prove paternity before seeking support from his or her father, and a suit to establish paternity ordinarily must be brought within six years of an illegitimate child’s birth. By contrast, a legitimate child may seek support from his or her parents at any time. Ten years after her illegitimate daughter’s birth, Cherlyn Clark filed a complaint on her daughter’s behalf seeking to compel Gene Jeter, the alleged father, to pay support. Although a blood test demonstrated a 99.3% probability that Jeter was the father, the court entered judgment for Jeter based on the six-year statute of limitations.
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