The 2nd District Court ruled that when the state Department of Revenue files a paternity lawsuit against a man it believes to be the biological father of a child in need of child support it must include the legal father in the lawsuit. The appeal arises from six cases in Pinellas County that were consolidated on appeal. The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that in each of the six cases the legal father was an indispensable party to the paternity action. The court also found that its decision was in conflict with a 2002 ruling by the 1st District Court. In its appeal, DOR argues that none of the legal fathers had expressed any desire to have a relationship with the children in question and that none of the marriages between the legal fathers and the children's mothers remained intact. The other side argues that the rights and obligations of the legal father are inextricably linked to the determination of paternity and that he must be included in the case.