Big News: Cheri won! Her estranged husband has abandoned his paternity claim to her 4-year-old son.

JAN 23, 2020 — 

We have incredibly happy news to share. Cheri won! On Friday, Jan. 17, Cheri won her legal battle to stop her estranged husband from gaining legal status as the father of her 4-year-old son, which she conceived two years after the couple had been legally separated.

As the Austin American-Statesman reported it, “On Jan. 17, Clay Saunders abandoned his paternity claim and any future claims to visitation and access with 4-year-old Brayden Bergeron. His decision eliminated the need for a Travis County judge to rule on the matter. Saunders previously was ordered to take a DNA test that showed he was not the boy’s biological father.”

Clay conceded just as the parties were about to walk back into court. Since the DNA results — which came back nearly 4 weeks earlier — conclusively proved that he is not the father of Cheri’s son, the judge was expected to rule against him.

We thank all of you for your support and signatures on our petition.

Now that she has won her case in court, Bergeron is determined to get the laws changed in Texas.

As reported by KVUE-TV:

The case brings awareness to a state custody law that Bergeron says unfairly gave her estranged husband “rights to my uterus.” A husband, according to the law, is the “presumed father,” of any child born to his wife while the couple is married, even during a period when the couple is separated.

“I believe the laws need to be modernized to catch up to our science,” Bergeron said.

Facing the weight of state laws that favor pairing children with a mother and a father, Bergeron stepped into a Travis County district courtroom two weeks ago to block her estranged husband, Clay Saunders, from becoming the father of 4-year-old Brayden Bergeron. State District Judge Scott Jenkins ruled in her favor on Dec. 13, but Bergeron believes she never should have even been in a position to fight for full parental rights.

That’s absolutely right. Cheri should have never had to fight and defend her son from a man who is not his father.

With your continued support, she’s going to make sure no one else ever has to either.

Please help us spread the word about Cheri as she takes her fight to the Texas Capitol.

Stay tuned!