Virginia Code 64.2-103: Evidence of paternity
A. For the purposes of this title, paternity of a child born out of wedlock shall be established by clear and convincing evidence, and such evidence may include the following:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 64.2-103
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
1. That he cohabited openly with the mother during all of the 10 months immediately prior to the time the child was born;
2. That he gave consent to a physician or other person, not including the mother, charged with the responsibility of securing information for the preparation of a birth record that his name be used as the father of the child upon the birth record of the child;
3. That he allowed by a general course of conduct the common use of his surname by the child;
4. That he claimed the child as his child on any statement, tax return, or other document filed and signed by him with any local, state, or federal government or any agency thereof;
5. That he admitted before any court having jurisdiction to determine his paternity that he is the father of the child;
6. That he voluntarily admitted paternity in writing under oath;
7. The results of scientifically reliable genetic tests, including DNA tests, weighted with all the evidence; or
8. Other medical, scientific, or anthropological evidence relating to the alleged parentage of the child based on tests performed by experts.
B. A judgment establishing a father’s paternity made by a court having jurisdiction to determine his paternity is sufficient evidence of paternity for the purposes of this section.
1978, c. 647, § 64.1-5.2; 1989, c. 466; 1991, c. 479; 1999, c. 781; 2012, c. 614.