Flickinger v. Flickinger

952 So. 2d 70, 2006 WL 3804683
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 28, 2006
Docket2005 CA 2228
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 952 So. 2d 70 (Flickinger v. Flickinger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Flickinger v. Flickinger, 952 So. 2d 70, 2006 WL 3804683 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

952 So.2d 70 (2006)

Tracy Comeaux FLICKINGER
v.
David J. FLICKINGER.

No. 2005 CA 2228.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 28, 2006.

*72 Brian J. Prendergast, Baton Rouge, Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee Tracy Comeaux Flickinger.

Pamela Jean Baker, Baton Rouge, Counsel for Defendant/Appellant David J. Flickinger.

Before: KUHN, GAIDRY, and WELCH, JJ.

GAIDRY, J.

This appeal arises from a trial court judgment setting child support and ordering the father to pay a portion of the minor child's private school tuition. For the following reasons, we amend in part and affirm as amended, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

David Flickinger and Tracy Comeaux Flickinger were married on June 21, 1996, and had a son, Benjamin, on November 13, 1997. David began receiving Social Security disability benefits prior to the parties' marriage, and upon his birth, Benjamin began receiving Social Security benefits due to his father's disability. David and Tracy were divorced on June 30, 1999. They were awarded joint custody of Benjamin, with Tracy designated as the domiciliary parent, and David was ordered to pay child support to Tracy.

On September 19, 2003, Tracy filed a Rule for Review of Custody, Arrearages, Contempt of Court and Attorney's Fees, asking the court to review the custody arrangement and designation of school for the fall semester because Benjamin was about to start kindergarten. David filed a Motion to Change Custody on January 19, 2005, alleging that there had been a change in circumstances materially affecting Benjamin's welfare and that it was in Benjamin's best interest for David to be named the domiciliary parent or alternatively for the parties to share physical custody equally.

In a stipulated judgment, signed by the court on June 14, 2005, it was ordered that the parties would continue to have joint custody of Benjamin, with Tracy being designated as the domiciliary parent. Pursuant to this judgment, David would have physical custody of Benjamin during the school year on every other weekend from Thursday after school until Monday before school and on all of Tracy's work days from after school until 5:30 p.m. During the summer, David would have physical custody of Benjamin for six weeks, and also for all of Tracy's working hours during the four weeks of summer that Benjamin is with Tracy. David would also have *73 physical custody on certain designated holidays.

In a separate June 16, 2005 judgment, the court ordered David to pay Tracy $239.84 a month in child support, starting May 4, 2005. In addition to this amount, the court ordered that Tracy also receive Benjamin's monthly child benefit from the Social Security Administration, which was approximately $520.00 per month. The court also ordered David to pay 43% of Benjamin's private school tuition for the 2003-2004 school year and 41% of the private school tuition for the 2004-2005 school year.

David appealed this judgment, assigning the following trial court errors:

1. The trial court erred in failing to consider Benjamin's social security disability check "income of the child."
2. The trial court erred in holding that the social security disability check, received by Benjamin as a result of David's disability, constitutes benefits received from a means-tested public assistance program.
3. The trial court erred in failing to include Benjamin's social security check in the gross income of the domiciliary parent for purposes of calculating child support.
4. The trial court erred in ordering that the entire social security check received by Benjamin as a result of David's disability, is to be allocated and paid in full to the domiciliary parent.
5. The trial court erred in failing to calculate child support in accordance with La. R.S. 9:315.9, when the custody plan provides for physical custody with the non-domiciliary parent for an approximately equal amount of time as with the domiciliary parent, or alternatively, the trial court erred in failing to deviate from the child support guidelines for the extended amounts of time that David has physical custody during the holidays, school year, and during times when Tracy is working.
6. The trial court erred in ordering David to pay a proportionate share of private school tuition.
7. The trial court erred in ordering David to pay private school tuition retroactive to the beginning of the 2003/2004 school year.

DISCUSSION

Social Security Disability Benefits Paid to the Child

At the time the judgment on appeal in this case was rendered, La. R.S. 9:315.7 provided that income of the child that can be used to reduce the basic needs of the child may be considered as a deduction from the basic child support obligation. This court interpreted § 315.7 in Kelly v. Kelly, 99-2478 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/22/00), 775 So.2d 1237, to entitle the parent on whose behalf social security disability benefits were paid to a full credit against his percentage share of the total child support obligation. After the judgment in the instant case was rendered, however, this court overruled Kelly in Salles v. Salles, 04-1449 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/2/05), 928 So.2d 1, holding that the amount of social security benefits received by the child should instead be deducted from the total basic child support obligation. After the ruling in Salles, the legislature amended La. R.S. 9:315.7 by Acts 2006, No. 386, § 1, effective August 15, 2006, to add subsection (D), which provided: "social security benefits received by a child due to the earnings of a parent shall be credited as child support to the parent upon whose earning record it is based, by crediting the amount against the potential obligation of that parent."

*74 Louisiana Civil Code article 6 provides that substantive laws apply prospectively only, while procedural and interpretative laws apply both prospectively and retroactively, unless there is a legislative expression to the contrary. Interpretative laws are those that clarify the meaning of a statute and are deemed to relate back to the time that the law was originally enacted. Cheron v. LCS Corrections Services, Inc., 02-1049 (La.App. 1 Cir. 2/23/04), 872 So.2d 1094, 1101, writ granted 04-0703 (La.5/14/04), 872 So.2d 532, affirmed 04-0703 (La.1/19/05), 891 So.2d 1250. As a general rule, an appellate court is bound to adjudge a case before it in accordance with the law existing at the time of its decision. Segura v. Frank, 93-1271 (La.1/14/94), 630 So.2d 714, 725. In cases where the law has changed during the pendency of the suit and retroactive application of the new law is permissible, the new law applies on appeal even though it requires reversal of a trial court judgment that was correct at the time it was rendered. Segura, 630 So.2d at 725.

The Digest prepared by the House Legislative Services, while not part of the actual legislative instrument, provides a summary of the amendments adopted by the House. It provides that HB No. 539, 2006 Reg. Sess. (La.2006) "Changes [La. R.S. 9:315.7] to clarify that social security benefits received by a child due to the earnings of a parent shall be credited as child support to the parent." (Emphasis added). Thus, the amendment to La. R.S.

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Bluebook (online)
952 So. 2d 70, 2006 WL 3804683, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/flickinger-v-flickinger-lactapp-2006.