Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76A.djvu/790

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–694–

-694CHAPTER 15—ESTABLISHING PATERNITY

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8UBCHAPTEB I—^PATEBNITY PROCEEDINGS Sec.

461. Persons who may bring action; certificate where child unborn; nature of action. 462. Jurisdiction; complaint; procedure. 463. Jury trial. 464. Agreement or compromise. 465. Competency of mother to testify; dying declarations. 466. Judgment; payments. 467. Writ of execution on failure to make support payments. 468. Action when putative father has died; claim against estate when father dies. SUBCHAPTER H—^BLOOD TESTS TO DETERMINE PATERNITY

491. Authority for test. 492. Selection of experts. 493. Compensation of expert witnesses. 494. Effect of test results. 495. Applicability to criminal actions. 496. Uniformity of interpretation. 497. Short title. Subchapter I—Paternity Proceedings § 461. Persons who may bring action; certificate where child unborn; nature of action (a) An action pursuant to this subchapter may be brought by: (1) a female resident of the Canal Zone who has delivered an illegitimate child or who is pregnant with a child which, if born alive, would be illegitimate; or (2) an illegitimate child or, if the illegitimate child is a minor or otherwise incompetent, his next friend. (b) An action for the support of a child still unborn may not be brought unless the mother files a certificate from an authorized physician specifying that she is pregnant. (c) If the mother was married when the illegitimate child was conceived, but living separate and apart from her nusband, an action for support of the illegitimate child may be brought in the maimer provided by this subchapter. (d) An action pursuant to this subchapter is in the nature of a civil action. § 462. Jurisdiction; complaint; procedure (a) The district court has exclusive jurisdiction of actions under this subchapter. (b) The action is brought by the filing of a verified complaint in the division of the court in which the plaintiff resides. The court shall proceed without unnecessary delay to a trial upon the complaint, and, except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, proceedings upon the complaint, including the issuance and service of summons, service of a copv of the complaint, and the giving of security for costs when required by the courtj shall conform, as nearly as may be practicable, to proceedings in civil actions. § 463. Jury trial An action pursuant to this subchapter shall be tried by jury, if either the plaintiff or defendant demands that it be so tried. § 464. Agreement or compromise If, at any time before judgment in an action pursuant to this subchapter, the defendant pays or secures to be paid to the plaintiff such sums of money or property as the plaintiff may, with the approval of