Scoggins v. Medlock
Annotate this CaseFifteen-month-old Trayvon Scroggins died in June, 2006 after being hit by a taxicab. Trayvon was survived by his mother, Appellee Evon Medlock, his father, Appellant Tremayne Scoggins, and one sister. Appellant was serving time at a federal penitentiary at the time of Trayvon’s birth and death. Appellee was Trayvon’s sole caregiver, and was named special administratrix of his estate. On opening Trayvon’s estate, Appellee asserted that Appellant was Trayvon’s biological father, but because he was in prison, no claim as a beneficiary would be asserted on his behalf unless it was determined that he was entitled to any benefits under state law. Subsequent to her appointment as administratrix, Appellee filed a wrongful-death and survival action against the cab company. The suit ended in settlement. But at the hearing, the circuit court appointed counsel to represent Appellant’s interests. In 2009, Appellant filed a motion to establish paternity of Trayvon. Appellee filed a motion to dismiss the paternity suit, arguing that state law has a mechanism for establishing paternity when one of the parents is dead, but not when the child is dead. Appellee argued that the circuit court could not exercise jurisdiction over a deceased child. The circuit court dismissed the paternity suit, holding it was outside its statutory powers to hear the case. Appellant appealed to the Court of Appeals, but that court dismissed the appeal as moot. The Supreme Court was “mindful” of Appellant’s assertion that he had a right to participate in Trayvon’s wrongful-death action. Beneficiaries of a wrongful-death action include the surviving parents and siblings. However, the Court held it “will not read words into a statutory provision that are not there.” The Court affirmed the order of the circuit court dismissing Appellant’s petition.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.