Powell v. Powell

63 Misc. 2d 748, 313 N.Y.S.2d 523
CourtNew York City Family Court
DecidedJuly 30, 1970
StatusPublished

This text of 63 Misc. 2d 748 (Powell v. Powell) 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
Powell v. Powell, 63 Misc. 2d 748, 313 N.Y.S.2d 523 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

Isidore Levine, J.

Petitioner herein seeks support for her infant son, born March 5, 1960, and hence presently age 10.

On February 13, 1963, petitioner and respondent entered into a written separation agreement which was subsequently incorporated into and made part of a decree of divorce which was granted by the Second Judicial District Court, State of Nevada, County of Washoe, on March 6, 1963. Said separation agreement, by its terms, survived the said divorce decree.

Amongst other provisions, the agreement provided (par. 2 thereof) that respondent pay petitioner until the husband or wife shall die, or until the wife shall remarry following a divorce, for the support and maintenance of the wife and child various percentages of the husband’s adjusted gross income as more particularly specified therein, with the proviso, how[749]*749ever, that the husband shall in no event pay to the wife less than $5,000 nor more than $13,500 in any calendar year for the support of both petitioner and the child, with certain adjustments in the event the child is attending school or college where he shall board and lodge away from home, and the husband pays for the child’s tuition, board, lodging and incidental expenses as provided in paragraph 7 of said agreement.

Paragraph 5 of said agreement provides that if the wife shall remarry following a divorce, then the husband shall pay for the support of the child only varying sums of money based upon the age of the child, which for ages 6-12 (the child herein is presently 10 years old) is $2,400 per year, subject to adjustments in the event the child shall attend a school where he shall board and lodge away from home after March 5, 1972, and the husband pays for such school, college or camp, or where the child visits the husband (except for a period of less than seven days).

Paragraph 6 of said agreement requires the husband to pay all extraordinary hospital, medical, surgical and dental expenses of the child in excess of 5% of the amount paid by the husband to the wife for the support of the wife and child in any calendar year.

Thereafter and on February 3, 1967 petitioner instituted a proceeding in the Family Court, New York County, to modify the order of the Nevada court pursuant to subdivision (b) of section 461 and subdivision (c) of section 466 of the Family Court Act on the ground of alleged change of circumstances.

After trial the court directed, by order dated June 27, 1967, that the petition be dismissed on the facts and the law with respect to increased alimony for petitioner.

In addition, the court found the sum being paid by the • respondent, in the light of his then financial circumstances, was fair and reasonable and adequate to provide for the child’s needs.

But these were not divisible findings. The court in its decision and order did not find that any specific amount was adequate for the child standing alone but merely that the unallocated total sum for the petitioner and the child provided by the separation agreement was fair and reasonable for both together. There was no specific breakdown found by the court in its decision and order for such overlapping jointly consumed expenses such as rent, food, utilities, toiletries, etc., by way of percentages or dollar amount chargeable to the petitioner and. child respectively, so that on a subsequent hearing a trial judge [750]*750could evaluate a claim of changed circumstances on behalf of the child alone.

The court found the following unallocated payments to petitioner and the child under the separation agreement fair, reasonable and adequate, as follows:

1963 —$8,590.

1964— 6,777.

1965— 7,340.

1966— 9,197.

Thereafter and on December 2, 1968 petitioner remarried, and on April 25, 1969 she brought the within proceedings for support of the infant issue herein alone, claiming inadequate support for the child since the date of her remarriage which the respondent was paying in accordance with paragraph 5 of the separation agreement which was incorporated into the Nevada decree and survived same.

In support of her position petitioner cites subdivision (a) of section 461 of the Family Court Act, which reads in part as follows: “A separation agreement, a decree of separation, and a final decree or judgment terminating a marriage relationship does not eliminate or diminish either parent’s duty to support a child of the marriage under sections four hundred thirteen and four hundred fourteen of this article. ’ ’

Petitioner also cites Horowitz v. Horowitz (197 Misc. 260, 262) where the court stated: “ An agreement depriving a child of his rights cannot be construed to be binding upon the child. The agreement is not between the child and the parents. A child has no capacity to enter into an agreement. By agreement the law may not be set aside and the legal rights reserved to a child cannot be set aside. ’ ’

Petitioner further cites Langerman v. Langerman (203 Misc. 230), where the court held that the amount awarded in a Nevada divorce decree for support of parties’ children was not binding upon the children, and they were entitled to support from their father in whatever amount the Family Court might adjudge from time to time to be a fair and reasonable sum according to the father’s means — -even where Nevada permitted the Nevada courts to modify provisions in their divorce decrees pertaining to support of children (citing Langerman v. Langerman, 303 N. Y. 465).

Petitioner finally urges the court to order an increase in child support based upon the child’s present needs and the father’s income, which respondent concedes was as follows:

[751]*7511962 — $46,039.

1966— 50,678.

1968— 64,004.

Respondent counters these arguments in a twofold manner, as follows:

1. The Nevada divorce decree on March 6, 1963 and the Family Court order of June 27, 1967 denying modification are res judicata and unless petitioner can establish changed circumstances, her application for increased support of the child must fall.
2. That the case of Matter of Schwartz v. Schwartz (23 A D 2d 204) Appellate Division, First Department, is controlling on this court sitting in the First Department, as against Matter of Handel v. Handel (32 A D 2d 946) decided by the Appellate Division of the Second Department, notwithstanding the latter’s affirmance by the Court of Appeals (26 N Y 2d 853) since such affirmance by the Court of Appeals was limited by the very language thereof (“No other issue is passed upon”) to the right of petitioner to an examination before trial of respondent where the respondent failed to move for a protective order under CPLR 3122 or to show cause why his failure to so move was excusable.

In line with this position respondent contends that the Schwarts

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Related

Langerman v. Langerman
104 N.E.2d 857 (New York Court of Appeals, 1952)
Horowitz v. Horowitz
197 Misc. 260 (New York Family Court, 1949)
Langerman v. Langerman
203 Misc. 230 (New York Family Court, 1952)

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Bluebook (online)
63 Misc. 2d 748, 313 N.Y.S.2d 523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/powell-v-powell-nycfamct-1970.