Devane ex rel. Robinson v. Chancellor

WYNN, Judge.

In this action, plaintiffs, Sharma G’Nell Devane and Derrick D’Sell Devane, and their mother, Sandra Denise Devane, seek to establish defendant’s paternity and thereby gain child support from him.

The defendant was previously tried, in 1979, on charges of criminal nonsupport of these same children, and was found not guilty. In a special verdict, the jury specifically found that the State of North Carolina had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was the father of these children. Following this proceeding, in 1986, the Sampson County Child Support Enforcement…