Art. 1303.15 Nonparentage as defense

If a court has already legally established that you are a child's parent, you can't try to argue otherwise later to get out of a case covered by this chapter. Once parentage has been decided through a legal process, that decision stands. You can't bring it back up as a defense to avoid responsibilities like child support or other obligations tied to being the child's parent.

This rule exists to stop people from going back and forth on parentage after it has already been settled. Courts want these decisions to be final so children and families have stability. If someone was already determined to be a parent under the law, whether through a court order, an admission, or another legal process, that determination carries forward into related proceedings.

In practical terms, this means if you've already been named a legal parent, you can't show up in a later case, like a child support hearing, and claim you're not actually the parent. That question has already been answered, and the law won't let you reopen it as a way to fight the new case.