Case Title: Office of Child Support v. Sholan

Citation: 172 Vt. 619, 782 A.2d 1199

Docket Number: 

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 2001-09-11T00:00:00Z

Document:
Office of Child Support v. Sholan (2000-434); 172 Vt. 619; 782 A.2d 1199

[Filed 11-Sept-2001]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2000-434

                               JUNE TERM, 2001

Office of Child Support, and	       }      APPEALED FROM:
Elizabeth Schwebler	               }
                                       }
     v.	                               }      Caledonia Family Court
                                       }	
                                       }
Randall Sholan	                       }      DOCKET NO. 104-9-44 Cadm

                                              Trial Judge: Walter M. Morris, Jr.

             In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       In this international child support case, appellant and father Randall
  Sholan challenges the  Caledonia Family Court's jurisdiction to enforce a
  child support order entered against him in the  Federal Republic of
  Germany.  We hold that the family court has jurisdiction to enforce the
  order,  and affirm.

       On November 8, 1995, in the Federal Republic of Germany, father signed
  a document  acknowledging his paternity of Bianca Schwebler, daughter of
  Elisabeth Schwebler, and also  acknowledging his obligation to support
  Bianca.  The Schweblers are residents of Germany.  On  April 4, 1999,
  mother filed a complaint against father in Caledonia Family Court, seeking 
  registration and enforcement of the foreign document as a child support
  order.   The Vermont Office  of Child Support joined in the action.  Father
  responded with a motion to dismiss, claiming the  family court lacked
  subject matter jurisdiction over the issue. The motion was denied, and
  after the  June 15, 2000 enforcement hearing the magistrate entered an
  order enforcing the foreign child  support order. (FN1)  Father appealed
  this order to the family court, which sustained the magistrate's  decision. 
  This appeal followed.

       Father claims that the Federal Republic of Germany has not been
  declared by the United States  Secretary of State to be a "foreign
  reciprocating country" pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 659a(a)(1), and  Vermont has
  not entered into a reciprocal arrangement with it for the establishment and
  enforcement  of support obligations, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 659a(d).  He
  further claims that these are the only  remedies available for the
  enforcement of foreign child support orders, based on the constitutional 

 

  principles of the exclusive power of the federal government to enter into
  relationships with foreign  nations, the prohibition on states entering
  into treaties or alliances with foreign nations, and the  exclusive right
  of the federal government to regulate commerce with foreign nations. 
  Therefore, he  argues, Vermont courts lack subject matter jurisdiction to
  enforce the foreign child support order.     We note that, as the issue
  presented is a question of law, we review the family court's decision de 
  novo.  State v. Longe, 170 Vt. 35, 36,