In re R.H.

2016 Ohio 6961
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided September 23, 2016·No. 26899·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

[Cite as In re R.H., 2016-Ohio-6961.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT MONTGOMERY COUNTY

IN RE: R.H. : : : C.A. CASE NO. 26899 : : T.C. NO. 2010-4894 : : (Civil appeal from Common : Pleas Court, Juvenile Division) : : : ...........

OPINION

Rendered on the ___23rd___ day of _____September_____, 2016.

...........

BRIAN A. SOMMERS, Atty. Reg. No. 0072821, 130 W. Second Street, Suite 840, Dayton, Ohio 45402 Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellant

CHRISTOPHER B. EPLEY, Atty. Reg. No. 0070981, 100 E. Third Street, Suite 400, Dayton, Ohio 45402 Attorney for Defendant-Appellee

.............

DONOVAN, P.J.

{¶ 1} This matter is before the Court on the Notice of Appeal of H.E. (“Mother”).

Mother appeals from the October 15, 2015 “Decision and Judgment Concerning

Objections to the Decision of the Magistrate” issued by the juvenile court. The juvenile

court sustained in part and overruled in part the decision of the Magistrate on Mother’s -2-

“Motion for Increase in Child Support” and the motion of J.H. (“Father”) for an increase in

parenting time. Specifically, the juvenile court issued a transitional order of parenting

time in favor of Father, and the court also found that Mother failed to demonstrate a

substantial change in circumstances sufficient to warrant a modification of child support.

Finally, the juvenile court overruled Mother’s request that daycare expenses for the

parties’ minor child, R.H., be included in the child support calculation. We hereby affirm

the judgment of the juvenile court.

{¶ 2} Mother filed her child support motion on July 31, 2014, asserting therein that

she “believes the current child support order does not accurately compute child support

due to an increase in child care expenses and the child’s expenses as well as changes

in the parties’ income.” Father filed his “Motion for Unsupervised Parenting Time” on

August 27, 2014, asserting therein that “increased parenting time is in the child’s best

interest.”

{¶ 3} The juvenile court held a hearing on the motions on January 29, 2015. At

the start of the hearing, the court indicated that it afforded the parties time to resolve the

issues on their own prior to testimony. The following exchange occurred:

THE COURT: * * *

* * * As far as the child support is concerned, the Court calculated

imputed minimum wage at 48 hours a week to [Father]. That got his child

support to $405.10 per month, which appears to me to be double what it

was. And [Father] was asking that his Saturday visitation be increased to

an overnight, supervised by the * * * grandmother.

Ma’am, you understand that’s what the offers were? -3-

[MOTHER]: Yes.

THE COURT: * * * And you’re rejecting that; is that correct?

{¶ 4} Mother testified that R.H. is five years old. She testified that R.H. attends

“pre-K” at Mini University (“M.U.”). She identified a statement from M.U. and testified

that she spends $398.00 a month to send R.H. there in semimonthly payments of $199.00

on the first and fifteenth of each month. Mother testified that she has been employed as

a nursing assistant/ health unit coordinator at Soin Medical Center, working 36 hours a

week, since September 2014. Mother identified her pay statement, and she testified that

she makes $13.03 an hour. Mother identified her W-2 for 2014 and testified that she

made $7,190.29 for the portion of 2014 that she was employed. She stated that she has

no other income. Mother testified that she provides health care insurance for R.H.

through CareSource.

{¶ 5} Mother testified that she resides in a home that she leases from R.H.’s

grandparents. She stated that pursuant to their arrangement, she is to pay $300.00 a

month “if I can afford it,” and that if she cannot afford it, “then I do not have to pay rent.”

Mother stated that she has not yet made any rental payments. Mother stated that she

pays for utilities, lawn care, and “minor maintenance things.” Mother detailed her

monthly expenses.

{¶ 6} Mother testified that Father receives substantially less parenting time than

that provided by the Standard Order of Parenting Time (“standard order”). Specifically,

she stated that Father exercises his parenting time for three hours every Wednesday and

four hours every other Saturday. Mother stated that she sought an increase in child -4-

support because she has additional expenses since Father is exercising limited parenting

time. She stated that either Father’s mother, S.B., or Father’s grandmother, V.H.,

supervise Father’s parenting time. Mother stated that there have been no problems

during Father’s exercise of parenting time, and that she believed supervised parenting

time was in R.H.’s best interest.

{¶ 7} The following exchange occurred on cross-examination:

Q. Regarding your [M.U.], this is for preschool, pre-K?

A. Pre-K.

Q. * * * It’s pre-K tuition?
A. It’s day care and Pre-K.
Q. Well, it says, pre-K tuition. That’s what the exhibit says.
A. Okay.
Q. So it’s all for school; is that right?
A. Yes.

{¶ 8} The following exchange occurred on re-direct examination:

Q. Ma’am, you talked about an Individual Education Program for

your son * * *. Can you explain why or how he was on this IEP plan?

A. It’s based on social-emotional issues.

***

Q. And the IEP is - - is that through a public school system at the

moment?

Q. And which school system? -5-
A. City of Kettering.

{¶ 9} The following exchange occurred regarding the costs of M.U. at the

conclusion of Mother’s testimony:

THE COURT: * * * Specifically, I want to talk about [M.U.].

THE WITNESS: Yes.

THE COURT: You’re indicating that it’s a pre-K program, correct?

THE WITNESS: [R.H. has] been there since he was six months. It

goes up to - - yeah, I think like age ten.

THE COURT: * * * So I’m concerned that, is this a school or is this

a day care facility, or is there a way to bifurcate and divide the difference

between I’m paying “X” number of dollars for preschool, and then there’s

also day care, and I’m paying “X” number for day care? * * * Do you feel - -

do you understand what I’m saying?

THE WITNESS: Yes, but they don’t split it from - - it’s being

considered a day care.

THE COURT: * * * So it’s not a preschool; it’s a day care that

provides him with some learning?

THE WITNESS: It’s a day care that has - - what they - - what it is is

a day care that has different levels of education - -

THE WITNESS: - - for each year that the child - - they move into

different rooms.

THE COURT: The reason I’m asking you is, you’re entitled to a -6-

credit on your child support computation for day care, not for preschool.

And if you’re paying tuition for preschool, you’re not entitled to that.

MR. EPLEY: Your Honor, if I may, though, you cannot get an IEP in

day care.

THE COURT: That’s true.

MR. EPLEY: IEP is for public education. I believe you qualify

when you’re three? * * *

THE COURT: Three years old, that’s absolutely correct.

MR. EPLEY: When you’re three, and that is education.

MR.

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