PETITIONER HAD THE BURDEN TO PROVE RESPONDENT WAS SERVED; THE SUPPORT MAGISTRATE REVERSED THE BURDEN OF PROOF; NEW HEARING ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, ordering a new hearing, determined the Support Magistrate did not apply the correct standard to whether respondent (father) was served with the petition seeking an order of filiation and child support. The burden of proof of proper service was on mother:

The Support Magistrate did not apply the correct standard in weighing the evidence adduced at the hearing. “It is well established that it is the plaintiff [or the petitioner] who bears the ultimate burden of proving by preponderating evidence that jurisdiction over the defendant [or the respondent] was obtained” … . The plaintiff or the petitioner may sustain that burden, inter alia, by introducing the affidavit of service and the testimony of the process server, or evidence demonstrating that the process server is unavailable or that diligent efforts were made to locate the process server to no avail … . Here, the mother, as the party who commenced this proceeding, was the party who bore the burden of proving that jurisdiction was obtained over the father. At the conclusion of the hearing, however, the Support Magistrate denied that branch of the father’s motion which was pursuant to CPLR 5015(a)(4) to vacate the order of support, finding that he failed to credibly meet his burden of proving that he was not served with the petition … . Matter of Kathleen T.K. v Eric C.S., 2020 NY Slip Op 02266, Second Dept 4-9-20