Michael Jordan Wants Paternity Suit Dismissed
Michael Jordan is slamming a paternity lawsuit brought against him, and is asking a court to dismiss the suit.
Pamela Smith claims the NBA great is the father of her 16-year-old son. But Jordan says the teen's paternity has already been "conclusively established" in previous divorce proceedings between Smith and her ex-husband. Jordan claims that proves he is not the boy's father.
Along with seeking a dismissal of the paternity lawsuit, the 50-year-old NBA Hall of Famer has brought a counterclaim against Smith for making false claims, reports The Associated Press.
In Smith's Michael Jordan paternity lawsuit, Smith wants Jordan to take a paternity test again, and to pay child support for her child. She also seeks to have her son's last name changed to Jordan, and for the Georgia Department of Vital Records to issue the child a new birth certificate.
The 16-year-old teen also seemingly believes that Jordan is his father, as he reportedly posted a YouTube video on Christmas day asking that Jordan play a larger role in his life, reports the AP.
Smith apparently brought the lawsuit on her own behalf and without the assistance of an attorney. That may be because she faces an uphill fight if it's true, as Jordan claims, that he already took a paternity test in the same Georgia court, showing he was not the boy's father.
Generally, the paternity of a child is presumed to be the husband in a marriage. However, when a child is born out of wedlock, was allegedly fathered by someone outside of the marriage, or is otherwise unknown, the mother may sue the alleged father to compel him to take a paternity test such as a DNA blood test.
However, if the suspected father already took a test (as Jordan says he did), it seems unlikely that a court will continue to require that he continue submitting to DNA tests.
Related Resources:
- Michael Jordan paternity case a mystery even to insiders (Chicago Sun-Times)
- Paternity (FindLaw)
- Michael Jordan's Son, Marcus Jordan, Arrested (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Michael Jordan Sues Chinese Sportswear for Using His Chinese Nickname (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)