8 Va. App. 246 - Npa v. Wba’s Empirical Analysis
1989
Citation profile
38 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 38 later decisions — most recently August 2017 · most notably 182 W. Va. 399 - Michael K.T. v. Tina L.T. (1989), 12 Va. App. 595 - Kogon v. Ulerick (1991)
38 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on 189 Cal. App. 2d 658 - Clevenger v. Clevenger · Knill v. Knill · 3 Va. App. 523 - Bridgeman v. Commonwealth · T... v. T... · Remkiewicz v. Remkiewicz
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 38 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“Although the husband had assumed the role of father for the child's entire life, he did not knowingly misrepresent to the child that he was his natural father. Throughout the husband's relationship with the child, he acted under the mistaken belief that he was the child's natural father and supported the child. That he might have had a question or doubt as to his paternity at the child's birth, does not establish an intent to falsely represent himself to the child as the natural father. Furthermore, the child suffered no detriment by having been cared for and supported during the five year relationship where no legal duty to do so existed. In fact, the child has received the benefit of the husband's love and support. The husband's voluntary support of the child during the marriage based upon his mistaken belief that he was the child's father does not deprive the wife or the child of his cause of action against the biological father for child support.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage“The theory of in loco parentis, provides, in effect, that a stepparent or one who knowingly and voluntarily assumes the role of parent to a child may obtain certain legally cognizable rights and obligations the same as if between “a parent and child” but only so long as the relationship which gave rise to the rights and duties continues to exist. Doughty v. Thornton, 151 Va. 785, 792 , 145 S.E. 249, 251 (1928).”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. In re Angle“We are mindful that the child, who well may have an affinity for the husband as his father, is an innocent victim of his parent's problems. However, in the absence of consanguinity, legal adoption, or a knowing and voluntary assumption of the obligation to provide support, the law will not compel one who has stood in the place of a parent to support the child after the relationship has ceased.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. Williams v. Williams
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.