Tierce v. Gilliam

Irene Elizabeth Batchelder and William Copeland Tierce were married in November 1942. In February 1944, William left the United States for military service in Italy. William returned to the United States in December 1945 and learned that Irene was approximately six months pregnant. On February 2, 1946, William sued for a divorce on the ground of adultery. Shortly thereafter, Irene and William were divorced.

At the time of the divorce, Irene was pregnant with the defendant, Dennis Ray Tierce. The issue of Dennis Ray's paternity was not adjudicated during the divorce proceedings. On April 4,…