Hinckley v. Hinckley

54 Misc. 2d 1, 281 N.Y.S.2d 165, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1420
CourtNew York City Family Court
DecidedJune 29, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 54 Misc. 2d 1 (Hinckley v. Hinckley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York City Family Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hinckley v. Hinckley, 54 Misc. 2d 1, 281 N.Y.S.2d 165, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1420 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1967).

Opinion

Saul Moskoit, J.

The petitioner applies pursuant to subdivision (b) of section 461 and subdivision (c) of section 466 of the Family Court Act for an order modifying upward a Nevada divorce decree entered March 6, 1963 which incorporated by reference, but did not merge therein, a separation agreement entered into by the parties on January 1,1963. Petitioner bottoms her application upon the claim that the child is now 3 years and 7 months older (a claim which is summarily rejected by the court on the authority of Brody v. Brody, 19 N Y 2d 790, affg. 22 A D 2d 646); that his needs have increased; that he is now attending private school, needs psychiatric care: that extraordinary medical expenses have been incurred; that respondent’s income is now “ four times as reported in 1963 that respondent now holds an important- executive post in Overseas National Airways, Inc., and is now a stockholder in said company. She requests that respondent pay $35,000 annually for the support of herself and the child and seeks a modification of the visitation rights.

[3]*3Even a cursory examination of the separation agreement indicates that much negotiation preceded the final formulation of its terms and that its scriveners exercised painstaking efforts in reducing to writing the agreement of the parties. Each of the parties was represented by separate counsel both in the preparation of the agreement and the divorce that ensued.

The terms of the agreement quite clearly establish that the parties contemplated the possibility that respondent’s income would be enhanced with the passage of time and thus provided for a proportionate increase in support for the wife and child. They provided that until the husband’s or wife’s death or until the wife remarried after a divorce, the respondent would pay annually to the wife for her support and maintenance and that of the child the following percentages of his adjusted gross income during the preceding calendar year: 33%% of the first $15,000, plus 30% of the next $9,000, plus 25% of the next $12,000, plus 20% of the next $14,000. A limitation was placed on the amount to be provided for support in that the annual amount was not to be less than $5,000 nor more than $13,500 in any calendar year. In addition, the respondent agreed to pay all extraordinary hospital, surgical and dental expenses of the child which exceed 5% of the sum paid to the wife in any calendar year for support, it being further provided that the respondent will not be liable for extraordinary expenses incurred for orthodonture, surgery or psychiatric examinations or treatments to which he has not consented in advance except in emergencies.

The respondent was to have exclusive control of the child’s education and in addition to the payments provided, was to pay all charges for tuition, board, lodging and incidental expenses of the child at any school or college selected by respondent. The respondent reserved the right, to which petitioner agreed, to determine whether the child shall attend Summer camp, which camp and to pay all reasonable expenses in connection therewith.

It appears to the court from the terms of the agreement that the respondent had more than a casual interest in the welfare of the child and that this was recognized by the petitioner in providing the respondent with such broad discretion in controlling the child’s education, camping, psychiatric needs and in providing extremely liberal visitation privileges. The court finds that the respondent has taken the fullest advantage of such privileges and is obviously possessed of genuine concern and love for the child.

[4]*4The tax returns of the respondent for the years 1962 to 1966 inclusive reflect the following:

An increase in respondent’s annual salary for 1967 from $21,000 to $32,000 will result, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, in an increase of support to an amount in excess of $11,000 for the wife and child for the year 1967.

[5]*5As reflected in respondent’s Exhibit J, the income of respondent for each year from 1963 to 1966, inclusive, computed in accordance with the provisions of the separation agreement (including tax-exempt income and excluding capital gains and less business expense) was as follows 1963 — $20,820, 1964 — $19,599, 1965 —$17,009, 1966 —$37,483 —an average of $23,727. During this period, according to respondent’s Exhibit J, respondent claims to have paid to petitioner as and for her support and that of the child (including payments at request of petitioner for the account of petitioner and child, direct payments for child’s medical expenses and direct payments for child’s educational expenses) the following sums: 1963 — $11,-618, 1964 —$13,546, 1965 —$12,941 and 1966 —$12,557 —an average of $12,664.

Before reaching the question of whether the financial circumstances of the parties warrant a modification of the terms of the divorce decree, it becomes necessary to resolve several threshold questions of law.

A basic question is thrust upon the court by the amended answer of the respondent wherein he argues, in apparent reliance on Matter of Burns v. Burns (53 Misc 2d 484) decided April 3, 1967, that the Family Court is without jurisdiction to entertain an application to enforce or modify an out-of-State divorce decree and that subdivision (b) of section 461 and subdivision (c) of section 466 of the Family Court Act are unconstitutional in that they exceed the jurisdictional limits of the Family Court as set forth in the New York State Constitution (art. VI, § 13, subd. c).

With the utmost respect for its most distinguished colleague, Judge Hannah, this court does not concur in the rationale or principle enunciated in Burns (supra). It seems that in reaching the conclusion that subdivision c of section 13 of the New York State Constitution debars jurisdiction in this court with respect to enforcement or modification of an out-of-State decree, Judge Hannah completely overlooked the provisions of subdivision c of section 7 of article VI of the Constitution effective September 1, 1962, wherein it is provided: “ If the legislature shall create new classes of actions and proceedings, the supreme court shall have jurisdiction over such classes of actions and proceedings, but the legislature may provide that another court or other courts shall also have jurisdiction and that actions and proceedings of such classes may be originated in such other court or courts.” (Italics added.)

The changes in our statute authorizing enforcement or modification of out-of-State decrees were either coincidental with the [6]*6effective date of subdivision c of section 7 of article VI of the Constitution (§ 461, in 1962) or enacted thereafter (§ 466, in 1965).

There is no question that by its plain language subdivision c of section 7 of article VI is applicable to the present circumstances and would invest the Family Court with jurisdiction if enforcement or modification of out-of-State divorce decrees is a “ new class of action or proceeding ”. My learned colleague, in Burns (supra, p. 486), correctly stated that: “ Prior to 1962 neither the Domestic Relations Court nor the Children’s Court, the predecessor courts of this court, possessed the power to enforce any provisions of visitation or support of either the Supreme Court of New York or a foreign court of competent jurisdiction (Werner v. Werner, 204 Misc. 1085 [1953]).

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Bluebook (online)
54 Misc. 2d 1, 281 N.Y.S.2d 165, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hinckley-v-hinckley-nycfamct-1967.