A judge has ruled two identical Brazilian twins must both pay child support because it's impossible to know which one is the father.
The brothers, whose real names are suppressed but were referred to in court as Fernando and Fabrício, were allegedly well-known womanisers in their hometown of Cachoeira Alta, Goiás.
They would give potential conquests their twin's name in order to dodge accusations of infidelity, as well as to avoid taking responsibility for any children they fathered, according to the Goiás justice tribunal.
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"Since adolescence, the pair used their identical appearance to hide betrayals and win over more women," the tribunal said.
"They each used the other's name, either to attract as many women as possible, or to hide betrayal in their relationships."
Ten years ago a teenage girl met one of the twins at a party and had a brief sexual relationship with him. She told the court he mentioned he had a twin brother, but did not introduce her to him.
"The strange thing about the day is that he presented himself as Fernando, but he was with the yellow motorcycle that he said [belonged to] Fabricio," she said.
She got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl, but the father of her child refused to admit any responsibility. Now 25, she has taken him to court to demand he take a DNA test.
The test came out positive - but the man had a cunning plan. He said it was in fact his twin brother who was the father, because he'd given the woman the wrong name before they had sex.
Local news outlet Globo reports the other twin denied this, and both men have now insisted each other is the true father.
Because of their identical DNA, both men's paternity tests came out 99.9 percent positive, meaning there was no way to tell which one was the father of the girl, who is now nine years old.
The court said they could be made to take a more detailed 'twin test' but it would cost a lot of money and may not prove any more conclusive.
The judge has ruled that as a result of their deception, both men will have to pay the woman child support. The amount is the equivalent of 30 percent of Brazil's monthly minimum salary, about NZ$114.
The twins will also have to share the costs of the mother's medical, dental, clothing and school requirements, and both of their names will appear on the girl's birth certificate.
"One of the brothers, in bad faith, seeks to conceal paternity," Judge Felipe Peruca said in his ruling. "Such vile behaviour should not be protected by the judiciary."
Newshub.
