New York judge has dismissed a paternity suit against the Blade star after DNA tests determined he wasn't the man who fathered the child of an Indiana woman. The lawsuit, filed in 2002 by Lanise Petits, claimed Snipes had ducked out of his parental responsibilities after having sex with her in a Chicago crack house in 2000 and fathering her 3-year-old son. The 43-year-old thespian, who has a son and a daughter from two previous relationships, denied ever meeting or sleeping with the 33-year-old single mom. When Petits went to court insisting he submit to a paternity test to settle the matter, Snipes refused out of principle. A warrant was issued by a New York Family Court for his arrest in March 2004 after he twice spurned an order to comply, but police never acted on it. Snipes eventually fired back, suing the city and Petits seeking to have the arrest warrant invalidated and arguing the bogus allegations violated his civil rights. He claimed Pettis was an "obviously delusional" crack addict who is mentally ill and made similarly "fantastical" claims involving such celebrities as Prince, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Cinton. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska however tossed his complaint, saying federal courts had no jurisdiction in the matter since it was a state court matter. She suggested Petits could pursue forcing the actor to roll up his sleeve and take the DNA test. After it was revealed another man whose identity wasn't released did the impregnating, the city moved to dismiss Petits' suit against Snipes. "The good Lord says 'thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor,'" a vindicated Snipes told reporters outside the courtroom. "These are the tenets I live by." Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, told reporters he was happy with the dismissal but said his client would still press ahead with his civil suit against the woman for all the embarrassment it's caused him. The next hearing in that suit is scheduled for late November in the U.S. Court of Appeals.
