Ex Parte State Ex Rel. J.Z.

This case arises from a 1981 judgment determining paternity of a minor child. There is no transcript of the hearing on which the trial court based its decision. We adopt the statement of facts set out by the Court of Civil Appeals:

"The scant record in this case reveals that on January 13, 1981, a default judgment was entered, adjudging J.S.T. to be the father of S.S.Z., a minor child, based upon the affidavits of the mother, J.Z., and a social worker for the Colbert County Department of Pensions and Security.

"On July 8, 1993, the State of Alabama, on behalf of J.Z., filed a petition for writ…