Written by Adam Ferrise at Cleveland.com
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon appeared in court Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with a paternity suit that says he’s father the father of 1-year-old girl.
The warrant was withdrawn after Gordon appeared in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, according to attorneys on both sides of the case.
Gordon submitted a DNA test after the hearing on Wednesday at DNA Diagnostics Center in Cleveland. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8.
“Josh was made aware that he was required to appear in court on a case he was unaware of,” his attorney, Kevin Spellacy said in an interview. “He immediately got in touch with us and we notified the court. He stopped what he was doing and complied with the court order.”
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Alison Floyd issued an arrest warrant Aug. 31 after numerous requests for Gordon to submit to a DNA test went ignored for more than a year.
The mother’s attorney, Joseph Stafford, said he was alerted by the court that Gordon appeared in court about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, some two hours after the arrest warrant was made public.
Stafford said the case has been difficult for the child’s mother, Christina Lockhart of Maple Heights, because it has dragged on for more than a year.
“It’s a difficult proceeding because you have an individual who is a professional athlete that doesn’t comply with the court,” Stafford said. “He knows who the mother is, he knows who the child is, but for whatever reason, he chose to disregard the court’s orders.”
Stafford said the process for paternity cases are relatively simple. Stafford said the lab typically takes a swab from someone’s cheek to obtain the DNA. The sample will be tested against mother’s and baby’s DNA.
The test results are expected to be returned before the Nov. 8 hearing.
Stafford said if the DNA test shows Gordon is the girl’s father, a judge will set up a child support payment plan, starting at the beginning of the girl’s life. The child support payments will be based on Gordon’s salary and or any other money he makes.
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