Marriage of Stupp and Schilders CA1/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 2016
DocketA142302
StatusUnpublished

This text of Marriage of Stupp and Schilders CA1/2 (Marriage of Stupp and Schilders CA1/2) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marriage of Stupp and Schilders CA1/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 3/25/16 Marriage of Stupp and Schilders CA1/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

In re the Marriage of STEVEN STUPP and ANNEMARIE SCHILDERS.

STEVEN STUPP, Respondent, A142302 v. ANNEMARIE SCHILDERS, (San Mateo County Super. Ct. No. FAM 0110799) Appellant.

Steven Stupp (Stupp) filed to dissolve his marriage to Annemarie Schilders (Schilders) in 2010, shortly after their child was born. In November 2013, after three years of contested proceedings before two different temporary judges, Stupp and Schilders reached a settlement: during two days of meetings with their lawyers and the second temporary judge, they agreed on the division of their property and the terms of spousal and child support, and they agreed to withdraw their pending motions related to custody issues. A few months later, a stipulated judgment was entered based on their agreement before the judge; then, Schilders had second thoughts. Days after the judgment was entered she hired a new lawyer, withdrew her stipulation to use a temporary judge, and asked the court to vacate the judgment. Her first motion to vacate, filed under Code of

1 Civil Procedure section 663,1 was never heard, and was therefore denied by operation of law. Her second motion to vacate, filed under section 473, was heard and denied. However, in response to Schilders’s arguments that the judgment did not accurately reflect the terms of the parties’ agreement, the family court ordered the judgment be modified. Schilders then appealed, arguing that the family court erred in entering the judgment, in denying her motions to vacate the judgment, and in modifying the judgment. We find no error, and therefore we affirm the judgment of the family court as it was modified by the family court. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND When Stupp filed for dissolution of marriage in September 2010, he and Schilders had been married for about 15 years and had a two-month old child.2 Stupp’s income was about $400,000 per year, and Schilders had been unemployed for about seven years. Stupp and Schilders stipulated to the appointment of Richard C. Berra as temporary judge. In July 2012, Judge Berra signed findings and an order after hearing adopting temporary custody orders (2012 custody order), giving Stupp and Schilders joint legal and physical custody, stating that the child’s primary physical residence would continue to be with Stupp, and establishing a schedule to move toward “more equal joint [physical] custody in the future.” The 2012 custody order also urged Stupp and Schilders to agree to appoint a parenting coordinator, who would make recommendations to the court on issues that Stupp and Schilders could not resolve. Two weeks after he signed the order, Judge Berra recused himself for reasons not stated in the record. In April 2013, Stupp and Schilders stipulated to the appointment of a new temporary judge, Clifford Chernick. 1 All statutory references are to the Code of Civil Procedure unless otherwise specified. 2 The proceedings in the family court have been highly contested. This is the first of nine appeals in this matter, all filed by Schilders. We filed a second opinion in this case on the same day we issued this opinion. (See Stupp v. Schilders (A143186, March 25, 2016) [nonpub. opn.].)

2 A. Stupp and Schilders Agree on Settlement Terms in November 2013 A trial on all issues was scheduled for November 20, 2013, but did not take place because on November 19 and 20 Stupp and Schilders settled their disputes, as reflected in a transcript of proceedings and in signed documents. The first document, entitled “Term Sheet” (Property Term Sheet), was signed on November 19, 2013, by Stupp, Schilders, their attorneys, and Judge Chernick. It primarily concerns the division of certain property, including retirement accounts; the payment of professional fees; the parties’ withdrawal of pending motions regarding custody issues; and the selection of a preschool for their child. The Property Term Sheet states: “[Stupp and Schilders] have reached this agreement to resolve certain all [sic] issues in their dissolution of marriage action . . . except for those reserved issues stated in . . . this agreement.” The issues reserved for trial included all issues related to child support and spousal support from and after November 18, 2013, and the court retained jurisdiction over issues related to child custody. The second document, entitled “Support Term Sheet” (Support Term Sheet), was signed on November 20, 2013, by Stupp, Schilders, their attorneys, and Judge Chernick. The Support Term Sheet “resolve[s] the issues of child support and spousal [sic],” and incorporates the provisions of the Property Term Sheet “except to the extent modified by” the Support Term Sheet. Stupp and Schilders agreed as follows: Spousal support to Schilders of $8,000 per month (subject to true-up), with Stupp to pay $7,000 each month, and the remaining $1,000 paid semi-annually. Child support to Schilders of $1,500 per month (subject to true-up), to be offset by a flat reimbursement of $1,500 per month by Schilders for certain expenses for the child (including pre-school, agreed-upon extracurricular activities, health care, and Stupp’s child care expenses). Spousal support and child support are subject to annual true-up based on the parties’ income tax returns, using DissoMaster, a computer program that has been certified by Judicial Council for child support calculations pursuant to Family Code section 3830 and rule 5.275 of the California Rules of Court. (http://www.courts.ca.gov/8933.htm.) Despite the true-up, no reimbursement or “clawback” is due to Stupp unless his annual income is less than

3 $350,000 per year; if reimbursement is due, it will be carried forward to be reconciled in the next year’s true-up. Through December 2015, no income is imputed to Schilders, and the first $4,000 per month of her income is excluded from true-up; starting January 2016, Schilders’s earned income for purposes of the support true-up is the greater of $2,000 or her actual earned income. Other terms include the following: Stupp is to pay part of the child care expenses required for Schilders to work or obtain education toward future employment; spousal support cannot be modified unless, “due to involuntary cause,” Stupp’s income is less than $350,000 per year; spousal support terminates effective December 31, 2019 “subject to a Richmond[3] order, or on the death of either party, or [Schilders’s] remarriage or registration as domestic partner, whichever first occurs;” Stupp’s earned income for purposes of spousal support is capped at $400,000; and Stupp waives any right to spousal support from Schilders.

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