From our private database of 33,600+ case briefs...
G.E.B. v. S.R.W.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
422 Mass. 158, 661 N.E.2d 646 (1996)
Facts
A woman (plaintiff) claimed that a man with whom she had engaged in a yearslong sexual relationship, S.R.W. (defendant), was the father of her child, G.E.B. (plaintiff). In 1982 the man sought a declaratory judgment that he was not the father. The child was not a party to this action. The case was settled out of court, with the man agreeing to pay the woman $25,000 in exchange for her signed agreement with the statement that he was not the father. However, eight years later, another action was brought—this time on behalf of the child—seeking a judicial determination of paternity. The complaint was amended to add the woman as a plaintiff. Following a paternity test, the trial court determined that the man was the child’s father and ordered him to pay child support. The man appealed, arguing that the claim had been adjudicated in 1982 and was therefore barred. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Abrams, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 602,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 33,600 briefs, keyed to 984 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
