Judge Orders Both Identical Twin Brothers Pay Child Support For 9-Year-Old Girl

Nov 20, 2019

After plotting to avoid taking financial responsibility for a nine-year-old girl, a pair of twin brothers have been court-ordered to pay up. The identical twin brothers attempted to cover for one another, with each claiming the other was the one who impregnated the girl's mother.

Each of these Brazilian brothers claimed that the child wasn’t his, because it was his brother’s. With neither twin brother taking responsibility for the girl and DNA evidence unable to discern which of the identical twins is the real father, a judge sentenced both men to pay child support. According to the Guardian, both men live in the rural Brazilian town of Cachoeira Alta.

The mother of the girl hasn’t been named in media reports, but court statements explain that she met the father at a party where they had friends in common. At the time, she says she knew the man had a twin brother, though she was never introduced to the twin. Court statements also allege that the twins, referred to under pseudonyms Fabricio and Fernando, took advantage of their identical looks by impersonating each other. Their goal was to date as many women as possible. One court document reads: “Since adolescence, the pair used their identical appearance to hide betrayals and win over more women.”

“At the time [we met], I didn’t suspect anything,” the girl’s mother told the court. She added that she had a short fling with one of the twins. However, looking back on the affair, she sensed something was off the day they met. 

That day, the man told her his name was Fernando, but he’d ridden a yellow motorcycle that he said belonged to Fabricio. After she learned of her pregnancy, the mother took the brothers to court in 2017. There, she demanded the brothers take a DNA test to prove paternity. Although the test results proved one of the twins was the girl’s father, both refused to admit he was the father. The test couldn’t determine which was the real father, because identical twins share 99.9 percent of their DNA code.

According to the court, there is a more detailed DNA test with the potential to determine the real father. However, the test is both very expensive and not necessarily conclusive. 

“It’s a very sad attitude,” the mother continued. “They know the truth but took advantage of the similarity to escape responsibility.” 

Although her daughter is now nine years old, the mother hasn’t given up. She continues to push for the truth and ask that the father take responsibility. Luckily for her, the judge saw fit to punish both men for their bad behavior. “One of the brothers, in bad faith, seeks to conceal paternity,” Judge Felipe Peruca wrote in his decision. “Such behavior should not be protected by the judiciary.” To prove his point, the judge ruled that both twins pay 30 percent of Brazil’s monthly minimum wage, which amounts to about $76.88 USD. The twins must also split the cost of schooling, medical and dental care, and clothing with the girl’s mother. Although the judge’s ruling is a financial win for mother and daughter, the child’s actual father is still unknown. The mother’s lawyer told reporters that they believe the child has a right to know which twin is her biological father.

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