{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"megan-b-witherspoon","displayName":"MEGAN B. WITHERSPOON","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappsd:sd37131:2022-03-29","opinionId":"25cd859f-30c6-5baa-a203-215cc7590cfc","slug":"megan-b-witherspoon-respondent-v-juan-thurmond-appellant-d37131","caseName":"MEGAN B. WITHERSPOON, Respondent\nvs.\nJUAN THURMOND, Appellant","caseNumber":"SD37131","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":"2022-03-29","year":2022,"display_summary":"Juan Thurmond (Father) appealed the circuit court's judgment determining his child support arrearages, arguing the original paternity judgment was void ab initio for lack of personal jurisdiction. The circuit court found Father had waived this defense by actively participating in subsequent litigation without raising the issue. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Father's actions, including filing motions seeking affirmative relief, constituted a general appearance and waiver of the personal jurisdiction defense, even if the original judgment was entered without it.","primaryTopic":"civil-procedure","topicSlugs":["civil-procedure","family-law","appellate-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=185834","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/megan-b-witherspoon-respondent-v-juan-thurmond-appellant-d37131","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"family","label":"Family Law","href":"/practice-areas/family","score":32,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: family-law","topic: family-law"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/family"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"respondent"}]}