Brosky v. Krebs

2018 Ohio 5261
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 28, 2018
Docket17CA011161
StatusPublished

This text of 2018 Ohio 5261 (Brosky v. Krebs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brosky v. Krebs, 2018 Ohio 5261 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

[Cite as Brosky v. Krebs, 2018-Ohio-5261.]

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF LORAIN )

CHRISTINE BROSKY C.A. No. 17CA011161

Appellant

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE JOHN KREBS COURT OF COMMON PLEAS COUNTY OF LORAIN, OHIO Appellee CASE No. 14JB42571

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY

Dated: December 28, 2018

CARR, Judge.

{¶1} Appellant Christine Brosky (“Mother”) appeals the judgment of the Lorain

County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. This Court affirms in part, and reverses in

part, and the matter is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I.

{¶2} Mother and Appellee Dr. John Krebs (“Father”) engaged in a lengthy extramarital

affair which resulted in the birth of a son, E., on March 5, 2009. E. was later diagnosed with a

speech disturbance, hypotonia, asthma, autism, ADHD, and various food allergies. In June 2014,

Mother filed a complaint to establish paternity and to establish an order for child support.

Genetic testing was conducted to confirm paternity.

{¶3} Following a hearing on the issue of child support, the magistrate issued a decision

ordering Father to pay $5,000 per month in child support and ordered that it be retroactive to 2

January 1, 2012. In addition, the magistrate imputed $66,915.07 in income to Mother,1 who was

unemployed at the time of the hearing, ordered Father to provide health insurance coverage for

E. and ordered that E.’s uninsured medical expenses be apportioned equally between the parties.

The trial court adopted the magistrate’s decision and entered judgment on it the same day.

Mother filed objections and supplemental objections to the magistrate’s decision. After a

hearing on the objections, the trial court overruled them and adhered to its prior judgment.

{¶4} Mother has appealed, raising four assignments of error for our review.

II.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AND ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN IMPUTING INCOME OF THE PLAINTIFF IN THE AMOUNT OF $66,000 PER YEAR.

{¶5} Mother argues in her first assignment of error that the trial court erred in imputing

$66,000 in income to her.

{¶6} “[W]e generally review a trial court’s action on a magistrate’s decision for an

abuse of discretion, but do so with reference to the nature of the underlying matter.” (Internal

quotations and citations omitted.) Harrison v. Lewis, 9th Dist. Summit No. 28114, 2017-Ohio-

275, ¶ 40. “In determining the appropriate level of child support, a trial court must calculate the

gross income of the parents.” Stahl v. Stahl, 9th Dist. Summit No. 27876, 2017-Ohio-4170, ¶ 19,

quoting Bajzer v. Bajzer, 9th Dist. Summit No. 25635, 2012-Ohio-252, ¶ 11. R.C.

3119.01(C)(5) defines “[i]ncome” as used in Chapter 3119 as: “a) For a parent who is employed

to full capacity, the gross income of the parent; (b) For a parent who is unemployed or

1 While the magistrate referenced $66,915.07 in its decision, the number it used in the child support worksheet was $66,000. 3

underemployed, the sum of the gross income of the parent and any potential income of the

parent.”

“Potential income” means both of the following for a parent who the court pursuant to a court support order, or a child support enforcement agency pursuant to an administrative child support order, determines is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed:

(a) Imputed income that the court or agency determines the parent would have earned if fully employed as determined from the following criteria:

(i) The parent’s prior employment experience;

(ii) The parent’s education;

(iii) The parent’s physical and mental disabilities, if any;

(iv) The availability of employment in the geographic area in which the parent resides;

(v) The prevailing wage and salary levels in the geographic area in which the parent resides;

(vi) The parent’s special skills and training;

(vii) Whether there is evidence that the parent has the ability to earn the imputed income;

(viii) The age and special needs of the child for whom child support is being calculated under this section;

(ix) The parent’s increased earning capacity because of experience;

(x) The parent’s decreased earning capacity because of a felony conviction;

(xi) Any other relevant factor.

(b) Imputed income from any nonincome-producing assets of a parent, as determined from the local passbook savings rate or another appropriate rate as determined by the court or agency, not to exceed the rate of interest specified in division (A) of section 1343.03 of the Revised Code, if the income is significant.

R.C. 3119.01(C)(11). “[T]he trial court cannot impute income to either party without first

making a finding that the party is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.” (Internal

quotations and citations omitted.) Collins v. Collins, 9th Dist. Wayne No. 10CA0004, 2011- 4

Ohio-2087, ¶ 27. “The burden of proof is on the parent who is claiming that the other is

voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.” Stahl at ¶ 19.

{¶7} “This Court reviews a trial court’s factual finding that a parent is voluntarily

unemployed to determine if it was against the manifest weight of the evidence.” Id., citing Kent

v. Kent, 9th Dist. Summit No. 25231, 2010-Ohio-6428, ¶ 10-12. “The amount of potential

income the court imputes once it finds voluntary unemployment, however, is a discretionary

determination that this Court will not disturb on appeal absent an abuse of discretion.” Stahl at ¶

19, citing Rock v. Cabral, 67 Ohio St.3d 108 (1993), syllabus.

{¶8} Mother appears to both argue that she was not voluntarily unemployed and also

challenges the amount the trial court imputed to her.

{¶9} Mother testified that she is trained as an X-ray technician and from 2006 until

2011 she worked in medical sales. Originally she traveled to five states, but when she had E., the

company downsized her and put her on an inside sales job. In 2008, Mother earned $65,795.16.

In 2009, Mother made a total of $66,698.50. In 2010, Mother’s earnings were $72,421.30. In

2011, Mother earned $54,361.32 from her employer and $8,384.00 in unemployment

compensation. Finally, in 2012, Mother received $27,248.00 in unemployment compensation.

{¶10} Mother testified that she went on unemployment in July 2011 when she was

downsized from her job and stopped receiving unemployment compensation in January 2013.

She asserted that she attempted to seek similar employment when she was downsized but averred

that she was unable to find employment because it “was impossible with the schedule and the

amount of therapies that E[.] was starting to incur[.]” Mother maintained that, at the time of the

hearing, her responsibilities for E[.] remained “a full-time, 24/7-plus job.” 5

{¶11} E. was first diagnosed with a disturbance of speech in 2010, hypotonia in

February 2011, and autism in May 2011. Mother immediately began to seek out services for E.

Procuring those services sometimes required Mother to engage the services of attorneys.

Mother was ultimately able to enroll E. in the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism School for the

2014/2015 school year. E. attended that school from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday through

Friday through the entire year, including summer. E. made progress at the school and graduated

from it in August 2015. As of the hearing, E. was attending kindergarten at St. Jude’s school.

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Related

Bajzer v. Bajzer
2012 Ohio 252 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2012)
Wuscher v. Wuscher
2015 Ohio 5377 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2015)
Fraelich v. Parrish
2016 Ohio 445 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2016)
Hudson v. Cooper
2016 Ohio 1193 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2016)
Homler v. Homler, Unpublished Decision (5-24-2006)
2006 Ohio 2556 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)
Justice v. Justice, Ca2006-11-134 (10-1-2007)
2007 Ohio 5186 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)
Trombley v. Trombley
2018 Ohio 1880 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2018)
Rock v. Cabral
616 N.E.2d 218 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
2018 Ohio 5261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brosky-v-krebs-ohioctapp-2018.