The Vermont Statutes Online
The Vermont Statutes Online have been updated to include the actions of the 2023 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 15C : Parentage Proceedings
Chapter 003 : Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage
(Cite as: 15C V.S.A. § 308)-
§ 308. Challenge to acknowledgment after expiration of period for rescission
(a) Challenge by signatory. After the period for rescission under section 307 of this title has expired, a signatory of an acknowledgment of parentage or denial of parentage may commence a proceeding to challenge the acknowledgment or denial only:
(1) on the basis of fraud, duress, coercion, threat of harm, or material mistake of fact; and
(2) within two years after the acknowledgment or denial is effective in accordance with section 304 of this title.
(b) Challenge by person not a signatory. If an acknowledgment of parentage has been made in accordance with this chapter, a person who is neither the child nor a signatory to the acknowledgment who seeks to challenge the validity of the acknowledgment and adjudicate parentage shall commence a proceeding within two years after the effective date of the acknowledgment unless the person did not know and could not reasonably have known of the person’s potential parentage due to a material misrepresentation or concealment, in which case the proceeding shall be commenced within two years after the discovery of the person’s potential parentage.
(c) Burden of proof. A person challenging an acknowledgment of parentage or denial of parentage pursuant to this section has the burden of proof by clear and convincing evidence.
(d) Consolidation. A court proceeding in which the validity of an acknowledgment of parentage is challenged shall be consolidated with any other pending court actions regarding the child. (Added 2017, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
