§ 19-11-134.Defense of nonparentage
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 3. Civil Provisions · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-134
Plain-English Summary
This short section closes a door. A party whose parentage of a child has already been determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense in a proceeding under Georgia’s interstate support article. Once parentage is settled, an interstate enforcement or support case is not the place to relitigate it.
The rule is written broadly. It applies to “a party,” so it reaches mothers and fathers alike, and to any proceeding under the article — establishing support, enforcing or registering an order, or modifying one. It doesn’t limit itself to determinations made in Georgia; an earlier determination made by or pursuant to law elsewhere counts too. The section doesn’t list the ways parentage may have been determined, and it doesn’t say how an earlier determination might be undone in the place where it was made. It only bars the defense here.
The section works alongside its neighbors. When parentage has not been determined, a Georgia tribunal authorized to decide parentage may serve as the responding tribunal under § 19-11-141, and § 19-11-140(b) allows temporary child support from certain people while that question is open. Notably, the defenses available against a registered support order in § 19-11-166 do not include nonparentage. The section was last amended in 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I deny I’m the father in an interstate child support case?
Not if your parentage has already been determined by or pursuant to law. This section says a party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under Georgia’s interstate support law. If parentage has never been determined, the section doesn’t apply.
What if paternity was never decided?
Then this bar doesn’t apply, because it reaches only a party whose parentage has been previously determined. A Georgia tribunal authorized to determine parentage may serve as the responding tribunal in an interstate parentage case under § 19-11-141. While that question is pending, § 19-11-140(b) lets the tribunal order temporary child support from people in certain categories, such as a father identified through genetic testing.
Does it matter that the paternity ruling came from another state?
The section doesn’t limit itself to Georgia determinations. It applies to any party whose parentage has been determined “by or pursuant to law.” A parentage determination from another state that meets that description bars the nonparentage defense in a Georgia proceeding under the interstate support article.
Can I challenge paternity when the other parent registers a support order in Georgia?
Not by pleading nonparentage, if parentage was already determined. This section bars that defense in any proceeding under the article, and the defenses to a registered support order listed in § 19-11-166 — such as lack of personal jurisdiction, fraud, or payment — don’t include it. The section doesn’t address reopening a determination where it was made.
Does this rule apply to mothers too?
Yes. The section speaks of “a party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined,” not only fathers. Any party whose parentage has been determined by or pursuant to law is barred from pleading nonparentage as a defense in a proceeding under Georgia’s interstate support law.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.