NO. COA04-1305
NORTH CAROLINA COURT OF APPEALS
Filed: 5 July 2005
ROBESON COUNTY DSS, OBO,
LATOYA M. BLACK,
Plaintiff,
v. Robeson County
No. 98 CVD 1569
CHRISTOPHER MCGEACHY,
Defendant.
Appeal by defendant from order filed 20 May 2004 by Judge
Herbert L. Richardson in Robeson County District Court. Heard in
the Court of Appeals 6 June 2005.
Locklear, Jacobs, Hunt & Brooks, by Crystal L. Graham, for
plaintiff-appellee.
Bowen, Berry and Powers, PLLC, by Tiffany Peguise-Powers, for
defendant-appellant.
BRYANT, Judge.
Christopher McGeachy (defendant) appeals an order filed 20 May
2004, entered consistent with denial of a motion to set aside
judgment deeming him to be the father of Christopher McGeachy, Jr.
On 20 August 1998, an order was entered deeming defendant to
be the father of Christopher McGeachy, Jr., born on 10 June 1996.
The order required defendant to pay $154.00 per month for child
support. On 27 April 2004, defendant filed a motion pursuant to
Rule 60(b)(6) to set aside the order and to allow DNA testing to
determine the paternity of the minor child. Defendant claimed he
had noticed that as the minor child has aged, he is beginning toresemble someone other than the Defendant.
On 20 May 2004, the
motion was denied.
On 21 May 2004, defendant filed written notice
of appeal.
Defendant's sole argument on appeal is
that the trial court
erred in denying his motion because the child had grown and
developed such that he no longer resembled him
.
We disagree.
To
set aside a judgment or order pursuant to Rule 60(b)(6), a
defendant must demonstrate:
(1) extraordinary circumstances exist,
(2) justice demands the setting aside of the judgment, and (3) the
defendant has a meritorious defense.
Gibby v. Lindsey, 149 N.C.
App. 470, 474, 560 S.E.2d 589, 592 (2002)(citation omitted
).
The
trial court concluded defendant's allegation that the child no
longer resembled him was insufficient grounds to set aside the
order of paternity.
The decision whether to grant relief under Rule 60(b) 'is
addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court and appellate
review is limited to determining whether the court abused its
discretion.'
Sloan v. Sloan, 151 N.C. App. 399, 404, 566 S.E.2d
97, 101 (2002)(citation omitted). Here, we conclude that defendant
has failed to show that the trial court's order denying the motion
was manifestly unsupported by reason.
State ex rel. Davis v.
Adams, 153 N.C. App. 512, 515, 571 S.E.2d 238, 240 (2002)
.
The
mere fact that defendant believes the child does not resemble him,
without further evidence, is insufficient to demonstrate that the
trial court abused its discretion in denying the motion. Accordingly, we affirm.
No error.
Judges ELMORE and GEER concur.
Report per Rule 30(e).
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