You Are Not the Father – Paternity Law in Arizona
If you’re like me, you had perfect attendance all through grade school and high school and you’re a high-functioning and infinitely productive member of society. Just kidding, I loved a sick day. Nothing was better than lying in bed all day and watching the glorious trash television combination of Jerry Springer and Maury, and nothing got you feeling better than watching someone do backflips as Maury read those five magic words: you are not the father. But what if someone decided that you were the father - even if you weren’t? Well, such is the case for “The Bachelor” Season 26 star Clayton Echard, who has recently found himself on the receiving end of falsified pregnancy reports by a Scottsdale woman, Laura Michelle Owens. Today, let’s look at the legal ins-and-outs of falsifying a pregnancy and trying to Maury your way into child support.
To briefly summarize the story for those out-of-the-know, Echard met Owens after breaking things off with his final two bachelorettes, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, in pursuit of someone he’d already given the boot - Susie Evans. Echard and Evans broke up in 2022, at which point he met Owens. Owens claimed to be pregnant with Echard’s child in 2023, going as far as to fabricate an ultrasound image, a pregnancy video, and filing claims for child support. However, Owens claimed she had a miscarriage and dropped her pursuit of financial support from Echard when things started to not add up, and Echard turned around and filed suit against Owens for a litany of charges.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office pursued seven charges against Owens: fraudulent schemes and artifices, forgery, tampering with physical evidence, and four different counts of perjury. The first charge encompasses the entire false-pregnancy scheme. The second charge covers the creation of the fake ultrasound and pregnancy video. The third charge stems from Owens’ creation of the falsified materials as well, and the four counts of perjury all stem from lying under oath. In the state of Arizona, all of the charges are felonies, albeit differing classes. By itself, the fraudulent schemes charge, a Class 2 Felony, could carry up to 25 years. Each count of perjury is a Class 4 Felony, carrying up to 15 years per charge.
While our memories of the Maury show may be ones of hilarity, it really is no laughing matter to accuse someone of paternity with no basis. While Owens claims she’s innocent and her stories are all true, Echard has lost over a year and a half of his life fighting to make his case and clear his name. If you find yourself on the wrong end of a real-life Maury episode, I can’t promise you won’t be the father—but here at Palestini Law, we’ll work tirelessly to clear things up and keep all of us out of the tabloids.
JAMES P. PALESTINI
Originally from Toronto, Canada, James Palestini relocated to Arizona where he received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Studies with a minor in Criminology from Arizona State University. James then attended law school at Phoenix School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. While pursuing his doctorate, James interned at a criminal defense firm in Scottsdale, Arizona. James handled a multitude of criminal cases there, including felony, misdemeanor and criminal traffic matters.
