Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Hardy

Robert H. Dudley, Justice.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services filed this paternity suit on behalf of Brenda Elliott, the mother of the child, and asked that Robert Hardy be found to be the father and that he be ordered to pay past and future child support. The chancellor heard the proof, decided the case, signed a final order setting out his ruling, and, in a second order, decreed that the final order was sealed. The Department appealed to the court of appeals. The court of appeals questioned whether it had jurisdiction and certified the case to this court for an interpretation of the…