State Ex Rel. LeVasseur v. Merten

The state, on relation of an unwed mother who receives public assistance, brought a cause in Lane County Circuit Court to establish paternity of her child and to require the putative father to provide support and maintenance for the child. The putative father moved for appointment of experts to conduct blood tests at state expense on himself, the mother and the child for the purpose of developing relevant evidence for his defense. The circuit court found the putative father to be indigent but denied the motion.

The putative father petitioned this court for an alternative writ of mandamus…