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Famous basketball player gets through paternity fraud hoop

On Behalf of | Sep 23, 2011 | Paternity

When it comes to issues related to family, people can naturally get highly emotional. Many of us recognize that our identities have been built on our family make-up. When someone feels like that make-up or identity is being challenged, they react in strong ways.

LeBron James is a well-known NBA player. He’s seen his share of the spotlight (limelight, too), but a more recent top story related to the athlete reportedly hit him hard. He reacted and was sued for his reaction. Reports suggest that James doctored paternity tests in order to deny the identity of his supposed biological father.

According to CBS Sports, last year, an attorney came forward, claiming that he believed he was the father of the NBA star. The man had never had a relationship nor paid child support to James and his mother throughout their lives. James apparently was unhappy with the man’s paternity claim, and sources suggest that either he or his mother attempted to falsify the paternity test results.

Our source doesn’t provide any commentary from James, but there are some clear reasons why the star would be hesitant to have the supposed father show up in his life. First, it can be hard for someone whose parent didn’t help them out during their life to just whole-heartedly accept them once they’ve grown up. That step can especially be difficult for someone of celebrity status, whom supposed parents could be trying to get close to for financial gain. The other controversial aspect of this paternity case is that the man who claims to be James’ biological father was with his mother when she was only 15 years old.

He not only wanted his paternity confirmed, but when the alleged father discovered the attempted fraud following the test, he sued James for $4 million in damages. This week, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, asserting that no actual damages could be proven in court.

Slam dunk for James.

Source

CBS Sports: “LeBron James gets legal win over alleged father,” Ben Golliver, Sep. 16, 2011

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