WPC # VUNa % 0(U<w@ 4Y m | 0 0D+ 0Jo 0T 0^ 0hk 0r 0|E 0 0G 1u U,L 0dxU,U>B)FDCo AMU*,)U D3,v~_v 0@ B AO \ 0D" D/f BHP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0 (hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($-Bu Z$Arrus BT Roman eUDHӀyJ 3|x(f24^$ !    XT!XXX  0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)<  9p`(ModernP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(Monaco<  9p`(&Times New Roman% Line 7 d$$$$7Border 1dd-%C << G<  9p`(Arial " !  #d##  ''   YYY FILED'X July10,1996CecilCrowson,Jr.'AppellateCourtClerk   !  #d##   $           Rule10(CourtofAppeals).MemorandumOpinion.(b)TheCourt,withtheconcurrenceofalljudgesparticipatinginthecase,mayaffirm,reverseormodifytheactionsofthetrialcourtbymemorandumopinionwhenaformalopinionwouldhavenoprecedentialvalue.Whenacaseisdecidedbymemorandumopinionitshallbedesignated"MEMORANDUMOPINION,"shallnotbepublished,andshallnotbecitedorreliedonforanyreasoninasubsequentunrelatedcase.#KKKK'dxdPtPtHH(FG(HH(d'`Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Monaco   BA Op Monaco  BA Op Monaco ("$     d-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . &""Xd&#""Xd##  7XXdd7     \RA'\    қ@ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ WESTERNSECTIONATJACKSON  ________________________________________________ INRE:MITCHELLGREERLOTT  FROMTHEJUVENILECOURT        OFSHELBYCOUNTY,#F8801 DANNYM.HIGHTOWER,JR.,   THEHONORABLEKENNETH       TURNER,JUDGE PlaintiffAppellee,    VACATEDANDREMANDED Vs.       C.A.No.02A019507JV00155 AMYLOTT,      R.PorterFeild,Burch,Porter&       JohnsonofMemphis,ForAppellant DefendantAppellant,   ٜL&(%;+'h|`  `Lߛ       MichaelF.PleasantsofMemphis       ForAppellee___________________________________________________________________________7XXdXXd7@ MEMORANDUMOPINION )   ___________________________________________________________________________ CRAWFORD,J.  Thisappealinvolvesapetitiontolegitimateandchangethesurnameofaminorchild,MitchellGreerLott.Respondentappellant,AmyL.Lott,appealsfromtheorderoftheShelbyCountyJuvenileCourtthat,interalia,changedthechildssurnametoHightower.Thefactsareundisputed. OnDecember22,1994,respondentappellant,AmyL.Lott,gavebirthtoachild.ThechildsnamewaslistedasMitchellGreerLottonthebirthcertificate.Atthetimethechildwasborn,Ms.Lottandthechildsfather,DannyM.Hightower,Jr.,wereunmarried,andtheydisagreedonthesurnamethechildshouldbegiven. OnFebruary10,1995,Mr.Hightower,petitionerappellee,filedaPetitionforLegitimationintheJuvenileCourtofShelbyCounty.Inthepetition,Mr.Hightowersoughttolegitimatetheminorchild,changethechildsnametoMitchellGreerHightower,andestablishreasonablevisitationrights.OnFebruary28,1995,Ms.LottfiledaCounterPetitionforChildSupport.Thecounterpetitionseeksreliefonlyifthepetitionforlegitimationisgranted,andinthatevent,praysforallbackchildsupportfromthedateofthebirthoftheminorchild,futurechildsupport,healthinsuranceontheminorchild,andvariousmedicalexpensesassociatedwiththebirthofthechild.ByorderofMarch6,1995,thetrialcourtrefereeruledthatMitchellGreerLottwasthelegitimatechildofDannyM.Hightower,thatMr.Hightowermustpay$257.25inmonthlychildsupport,thatMr.Hightowermustpay$216.45forpastmedicalexpenses,andthatbackchildsupportshouldbeawardedtoMs.Lottintheamountof$771.75.IntheMarch6thorder,arulingonthenamechangewasreserveduntilMarch20,1995. ByorderenteredMarch20,1995,thetrialcourtsetvisitationrightsbetweenthepartiesandruledthatthesurnameoftheminorchildshouldbechangedtoHightower.Ms.Lotthasappealedfromthisorderandpresentstwoissuesforourreview.Thoseissues,asstatedinherbrief,are:8 8 1.[Whether][t]hejuvenilecourtjudgeerredbyincorrectlyallocatingtheburdenofproofwhichrequiresapartyseekingtochangeachildssurnametobeartheburdenofshowingthatthechangeisinthechildsbestinterest.8 8 2.[Whether]Mr.Hightowerhas...carriedhisburdenofshowingthatchangingthesurnameofthechildisinthechildsbestinterest.8 T.C.A.683305(Supp.1995)providesinpertinentpart:8 8 Fathersnameonbirthcertificate Surnameofchild. (a)Ifthemotherwasmarriedatthetimeofeitherconceptionorbirth,oranytimebetweenconceptionandbirth,tothenaturalfatherofthechild,thenameofthefathershallbeenteredonthecertificateandthesurnameofthechildshallbeenteredonthecertificateasthatofthenaturalfather,exceptthatwherethemotherthoughmarriedhasretainedthemothersmaidensurname,thenonswornapplicationofbothparents,thechildssurnametobeenteredonthebirthcertificatemaybethemaidensurnameofthechildsmother,orbothsurnamesastheparentsmutuallyagree.8 8 (b)(1)Ifthemotherwasnotmarriedatthetimeofeitherconceptionorbirthorbetweenconceptionandbirth,thenameofthefathershallnotbeenteredonthecertificateofbirth,andthesurnameofthechildshallbethatofthelegalsurnameofthemother.Allinformationpertainingtothefathershallbeomitted. Theappellantassertsthatthetrialcourterredinchangingtheminorchildsname,becausetherefereeincorrectlyshiftedtheburdenofproofbyrequiringappellanttoshowthatthenamechangewasnotinthechildsbestinterest.Duringthetrialcourtproceedings,therefereestated:8 8 Okay.LetmehearIgenerallyfavorthatandIneedtobeconvincedthatitisnotinthebestinterestofthechildtobearhisFathersname.IvesaidmanytimesthatitstheAmericanwayforachildtobearhisfathersname,togrowupwiththefathersname.Allofushaveourfathersname,everyoneinthecourtroomtoday.Theappellantarguesthattheburdenshouldbeplacedonpetitionertoprovethatthenamechangeisinthechildsbestinterestratherthanrequiringher(asarespondent)toprovethatthenamechangeisnotinthechildsbestinterest.Weagree. Barabasv.Rogers ,868S.W.2d283(Tenn.App.1993).In Barabas ,JudgeKoch,speakingfortheMiddleSectionofthisCourt,stated:8 8 Thecourtsshouldnotchangeachildssurnameunlessthechangepromotesthechildsbestinterests.[citationsomitted]Amongthecriteriafordeterminingwhetherchangingachildssurnamewillbeinthechildsbestinterestsare:(1)thechildspreference;(2)thechangespotentialeffectonthechildsrelationshipwitheachparent;(3)thelengthoftimethechildhashaditspresentsurname;(4)thedegreeofcommunityrespectassociatedwiththepresentandproposedsurname;and(5)thedifficulty,harassment,orembarrassmentthechildmayexperiencefrombearingeitheritspresentoritsproposedsurname.[citationsomitted].Theparentseekingtochangethechildssurnamehastheburdenofprovingthatthechangewillfurtherthechildsbestinterests.[citationsomitted] Id. at287. Theappellantarguesthatunder Barabas therulingofthejuvenilecourtchangingthenameoftheminorchildinthiscasefromLotttoHightowershouldbereversed,becausetherewasnoshowingthatthenamechangewouldbeinthechildsbestinterests.Weagree.Therecordreflectsthatpetitionerpresentednoevidencewhatsoevertoshowthatthechildsbestinterestswouldbeservedbythenamechange.  AppelleealsoassertsthatT.C.A.683305(c)and(d)requirethatthechildbearthesurnameofhisfather.T.C.A.683305(c)and(d)(Supp.1995)provide:8 8 (c)Inanycaseinwhichpaternityofachildisdeterminedbyacourtofcompetentjurisdiction,thenameofthefatherandsurnameofthechildshallbeenteredonthecertificateofbirthinaccordancewiththefindingandtheorderofthecourt.8 8 (d)Inallothercases,thesurnameofthechildshallbethelegalsurnameofthemother. TheappelleearguesthattheabovecodeprovisionsrequirethatthechildinthiscasebearthesurnameHightower,becausetheShelbyCountyJuvenileCourtdeterminedtheissueofpaternityofthechild.Althoughpaternitywasdetermined,thedeterminationwasmadeinalegitimationproceedinginstitutedbythefather.TheprovisionsofT.C.A.683305(c)and(d)applytopaternityproceedingswhichcanbecommencedbythemother,andsuchproceedingscanindicatethemotherswillingnesstohavethechildbearthefathersname.Inanyevent,T.C.A.682205(c)and(d)donotmandatethatthechildbearthefatherssurname.Thebestinterestsofthechildshouldgovernthisdetermination. Theorderofthetrialcourtisvacated.Sincenoproofwaspresentedinthetrialcourt,thiscaseisremandedforfurtherproceedingstoallowthepetitionertointroduceevidenceconsistentwiththeholdingofthisCourtin Barabasv.Rogers ,868S.W.2d283(Tenn.App.1993).Costsoftheappealareassessedagainsttheappellee.       _________________________________       W.FRANKCRAWFORD,       PRESIDINGJUDGE,W.S. CONCUR: _________________________________ ALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGE _________________________________DAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE