Parrish v. Griggs (Tennessee 2017)

In Tennessee, the obligation to support a child begins at birth unless there is a statutory basis for deviation. The deviation factors revolve around the father not knowing about the child or the possibility of his paternity. The appellate court reviews the support order for an abuse of discretion if appealed. In this case, the trial court awarded child support, retroactive to the date of birth, for a 14-year-old child. The father appealed the order, arguing that the mother told him the child was not his so he should not have to pay support back to the date of birth. The appellate court found his argument unpersuasive in that father knew mother was pregnant, knew the child was born, and saw the child. The father could have filed to establish paternity at any time after the birth of the child.