Soll v. Soll

632 A.2d 581, 429 Pa. Super. 312, 1993 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3647
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 29, 1993
Docket10 & 51
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 632 A.2d 581 (Soll v. Soll) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Soll v. Soll, 632 A.2d 581, 429 Pa. Super. 312, 1993 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3647 (Pa. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

HESTER, Judge:

Melvin E. Soil appeals from the November 30, 1992 order entered by the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County in this support action. Linda Soil, appellee, originally filed an action for support on October 12, 1973. A support order was entered on October 23, 1974. Subsequently, the parties entered into a separation agreement on July 29, 1980 (hereinafter “separation agreement”), in which, inter alia, they stipulated to a consensual increase in the outstanding support order. Appellant asserts the court erred in directing him to pay arrearages and-current support under penalty of being found in contempt. He maintains that since his children now are in their majority, and the separation agreement represented a complete resolution of all disputes between the parties, the court presently lacks subject matter jurisdiction to invoke its contempt powers and to use them to enforce payment of support under the separation agreement. He argues that appellee’s sole remedy, instead, is to sue him under the separation agreement in civil court. We disagree and affirm.

The record reveals the following. The parties were married on July 20, 1969. Two children were born of the marriage: Jacquelyn, born August 15, 1970, and Michael, born April 2, 1973. Appellant is an attorney admitted in this Commonwealth and owns a business which provides him with a comfortable income. Appellee also worked outside the home. The parties separated as of August 3, 1973. Appellee filed a support action on October 12,1973, and a hearing was held on November 7, 1973. A support order was entered on October 23, 1973, which directed appellant to pay unallocated support in the amount of $100 per week. On April 16,1975, a hearing for non-payment of support was scheduled and continued to May 23, 1975. On that date, the court increased the support *315 order to $150 per week. On March 31, 1980, appellee petitioned for increased support. Appellant filed preliminary objections in which he asserted that appellee had adopted another jurisdiction since she had moved to New Jersey. The master found that jurisdiction in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, remained valid and had not been divested. He ordered the parties to exchange financial information. Appellant then filed exceptions to this finding which were dismissed.

On July 29, 1980, the parties entered into a separation agreement. It included provisions for custody, equitable distribution in a lump-sum payment, medical expenses, life insurance, payment of college expenses, and religious training. It also stated that the agreement would be incorporated in the pending divorce decree. It did not either mention or preclude merger. Finally, paragraph five or the agreement provided for child support, stating:

Child Support. Husband shall pay the sum of One Hundred Sixty ($160.00) Dollars per week for the support of his two (2) minor children. Husband agrees to execute any and all documents required to increase the present Montgomery County Support Order designated as No. 456 July Term, 1973, from One Hundred Fifty ($150.00) Dollars per week, to One Hundred Sixty ($160) Dollars per week. Husband’s obligation for child support shall continue until the last child completes his college education, if pursued at an accredited institution on a full-time basis, marries or is self-supporting, or is otherwise emancipated, whichever shall first occur.

On August 29, 1980, appellant signed his consent to an increased support order in the amount of $160 per week.

On June 8, 1983, the support order sur civil contempt was transferred to Philadelphia County. On May 30, 1988, the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County entered an order vacating the support order without prejudice to enable its transfer to Louisiana, where appellant had relocated. The Philadelphia Domestic Relations file contains a notation made on June 9, 1988, which indicates that transfer of jurisdiction from Montgomery County for the purpose of transferring the support order to Louisiana was declined since appellant no *316 longer was in Louisiana. On November 8,1988, a judge in the family court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dismissed the support order since appellant was not living in that jurisdiction. In November, 1988, appellee had the arrearages reduced to judgment.

On November 6,1991, appellant petitioned for a decrease in support based upon changed circumstances, which he subsequently withdrew. On January 15, 1992, appellant filed a petition in Montgomery County to vacate the August 29, 1980 support order on the basis that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. On January .16,1992, the master modified the August 29, 1980 order by ordering appellant to pay $1,500 in arrearages forthwith, as well as current support, or to be held in contempt. On July 21, 1992, the master dismissed appellant’s petition to vacate, and appellant filed exceptions. On November 30, 1992, the trial court dismissed appellant’s exceptions and adopted the master’s order. This timely appeal followed.

Appellant first argues that the trial court erred in dismissing his exceptions in which he contended the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. He asserts that since the children have attained their majority, the court no longer has jurisdiction over their support. He relies upon the recent decision of our Supreme Court in Blue v. Blue, 532 Pa. 521, 616 A.2d 628 (1992), holding that nothing in the Divorce Code suggests that the Legislature intended to obligate parents to support their children past their majority and compel parents to pay for college education expenses. .

This argument lacks merit. First, in the separation agreement, appellant specifically obligated himself to pay for the college expenses of his children as long as they were enrolled in an accredited, post-secondary institution. This independent contractual obligation continues and is not extinguished by Blue v. Blue, supra. Goss v. Timblin, 424 Pa.Super. 216, 622 A.2d 347 (1993) (specific agreement to pay college costs is contractual obligation interpreted on its own terms and is not invalid under the Blue decision).

*317 Moreover, by Act 62, approved July 2,1993, our Legislature overruled the holding in Blue. We have noted that this statute specifically was applied to all support orders in effect. See Hecker v. O’Connell, 427 Pa.Super. 608, 629 A.2d 1036 (1993). Since the instant support order was in effect on that date and one of his children was attending college, appellant’s argument that the court no longer has jurisdiction on this basis is incorrect.

Next, appellant asserts the general proposition that the trial court cannot insert language into a comprehensive agreement where the language is clear and unambiguous. Moreover, he contends that absent language permitting merger, the court may not find ambiguity for the purpose of merger and thereby modify the agreement of the parties or use its contempt powers.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
632 A.2d 581, 429 Pa. Super. 312, 1993 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3647, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/soll-v-soll-pasuperct-1993.