Source: http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/470/470mass539.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 12:06:58+00:00

Document:
GEORGE J. RODMAN vs. ROBERTA RODMAN.
David E. Cherny (Thomas D. Ritter with him) for the husband.
Michael P. Doherty for the wife.
that George therefore was entitled to termination of the alimony order pursuant to G. L. c. 208, § 49 (f) (retirement provision), which provides that "general alimony orders shall terminate upon the payor attaining the full retirement age."
The plaintiff presents an argument that differs somewhat from that in Chin v. Merriot, ante 527, 528-529 (2015), concerning whether, and in what circumstances, the retirement provision may be applied to modify an alimony judgment that was in existence when the alimony reform act became effective. He argues that, because his agreement merged with the judgment, it was, under applicable law, always subject to modification based on his having reached the age of retirement, and therefore that his complaint for modification does not derogate from the proscription against retroactive application set forth in the alimony reform act.
Background. Our summary of the facts is drawn from the statement of uncontested facts set forth in the judge's reservation and report, supplemented by undisputed facts in the record. The parties were married on March 1, 1969, and have two adult children. At the time of the divorce in April, 2008, they had been married for thirty-nine years. The parties entered into a separation agreement that obligated George to pay Roberta alimony in the amount of $1,539 per week, and further provided that, "[t]he Husband's obligation to pay alimony to the Wife shall terminate upon the death of the Husband, the death of the Wife, or the remarriage of the Wife, whichever first occurs." [Note 2] Except as to provisions relating to property division, the agreement was incorporated into and merged with a judgment of divorce nisi that entered on April 28, 2008, and became "absolute," or final, "ninety days from the entry thereof," on July 23, 2008. G. L. c. 208, § 21.
Discussion. 1. Statutory interpretation standard. "[A] statute must be interpreted according to the intent of the Legislature ascertained from all its words construed by the ordinary and approved usage of the language, considered in connection with the cause of its enactment, the mischief or imperfection to be remedied and the main object to be accomplished, to the end that the purpose of its framers may be effectuated." Commonwealth v. Figueroa, 464 Mass. 365 , 368 (2013), quoting Harvard Crimson, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 445 Mass. 745 , 749 (2006). Where a literal reading would "lead to an awkward and even intolerable result," we will eschew it "for a more liberal or more encompassing approach." Mailhot v. Travelers Ins. Co., 375 Mass. 342 , 348 (1978).
2. Claim that application of the retirement provision to merged agreements is not retroactive. George acknowledges that §§ 4 through 6 of St. 2011, c. 124, the uncodified transitional provisions of the alimony reform act (uncodified sections), govern the extent to which the act operates to apply prospectively or retroactively to existing alimony judgments. George also agrees that express language in these provisions declares that the alimony reform act is, in the main, prospective. [Note 4] He claims, however, that modification of an alimony agreement that merges with a judgment that entered prior to March 1, 2012, as compared to one that survives the judgment, is not retrospective but prospective in effect; he contends that this applies as well to modification based on the retirement provision.
We do not accept George's view of the meaning of uncodified § 4 (c), because it would require us to disregard the familiar principle of statutory construction under which we interpret a statute as a whole. Instead, we consider the statutory provision bearing in mind that "it is improper to confine interpretation to the single section to be construed." Johnson v. Kindred Healthcare, Inc., 466 Mass. 779 , 784 (2014), quoting Commonwealth v. Keefner, 461 Mass. 507 , 511 (2012). We also consider the "surrounding text and structure" of these sections of the alimony reform act. Maracich v. Spears, 133 S. Ct. 2191, 2209 (2013).
conclude by delineating transitional implementation dates for the filing of complaints seeking modification based on these exceptions.
not permitted to do so until on or after March 1, 2014. Uncodified § 5 (1), (2).
Conclusion. We answer the reported question: General Laws c. 208, § 49 (f), does not apply retroactively to alimony orders in divorce judgments that entered before March 1, 2012. The matter is remanded to the Probate and Family Court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
[Note 1] Because they share a last name, we refer to George J. Rodman and Roberta Rodman by their first names.
[Note 2] Under the terms of the agreement, George also was obligated to reimburse Roberta's employer for the cost of maintaining medical insurance coverage for the parties, and to maintain life insurance, naming Roberta as sole beneficiary, with a death benefit in the amount of $650,000.
[Note 3] George was born in January, 1947, and was sixty-six years old when he filed the complaint for modification in November, 2013.
[Note 4] Uncodified provisions, such as those in §§ 4, 5, and 6 of St. 2011, c. 124 (uncodified sections), express the Legislature's view on a particular aspect of the operation of a new statute, including whether the statute is to be applied prospectively or retroactively. See Chin v. Merriot, ante 527, 532-533 (2015).
[Note 5] It is well settled that alimony provisions in separation agreements either merge with or survive the divorce judgment. See G. L. c. 208, § 1A, as amended by St. 1985, c. 691. George does not explicitly address whether the first clause of uncodified § 4 (c), stating that the alimony reform act provides no right to seek modification "of an existing alimony judgment in which the parties have agreed that their alimony judgment is not modifiable," refers to a judgment in which the alimony agreement has merged. Based on George's assertion that his merged agreement was always subject to modification upon a showing of a material change in the parties' circumstances, he appears to assume that the first clause refers to merged agreements. Because his merged agreement contains no language that alimony is not modifiable, George can make the argument that he is not precluded from seeking a modification of his alimony judgment.
We agree that the first clause appears, by implication, to include merged agreements, and that the Legislature intended to honor clear expressions by parties regarding the terms under which alimony may terminate, notwithstanding that merged agreements generally are subject to modification on a showing of a material change in circumstances. This reading is consistent with our decision in Bercume v. Bercume, 428 Mass. 635 , 644 (1999), and the Legislature is presumed to be aware of "preexisting law and the decisions of this court." Condon v. Haitsma, 325 Mass. 371 , 373 (1950).
The language referring to parties' agreements that their alimony judgment is not modifiable is mirrored in G. L. c. 208, § 49 (e), which provides: "Unless the payor and recipient agree otherwise, general term alimony may be modified in duration or amount upon a material change of circumstances warranting modification." Because of the reference to the standard for modification that applies to merged agreements, and the absence of any reference to surviving agreements, this provision also appears to contemplate that parties to such a merged agreement nonetheless may agree that their agreement will not be modified in duration or amount.
[Note 6] Also under this view, parties to a merged agreement that is modified pursuant to G. L. c. 208, c. § 49 (f), continue to have the same rights as they have always had to modify existing alimony awards, with the only differences being a shift in burdens and a heightened standard for establishing the need for ongoing alimony. We do not agree that the alimony reform act wrought no significant change to parties' expectations regarding modification of their alimony agreements. As we noted in Holmes v. Holmes, 467 Mass. 653 , 656 (2014), "the prior alimony statute did not provide presumptive termination dates for alimony." However, because of the result we reach, we need not address George's argument that, even if the retirement provision is retroactive in effect as applied to him, the statute passes constitutional muster because it is a procedural and not a substantive change.
[Note 8] The alimony reform act defines "[l]ength of the marriage" in G. L. c. 208, § 48.
"[T]he bill is intended to be prospective. Now, agreements between the parties that are made and are subject to modification provisions. We are not making any changes to that. . . . [The act] does not allow for existing amounts or modification of alimony awards in the past. The only thing it would allow is a modification to the duration of an existing alimony award, which may go on forever."
This comment was made in reference to a prior draft of the bill, Senate Doc. No. 665. But apart from reorganization of some provisions, that earlier version was substantially identical to the final version of the bill, with one exception that lends support to our interpretation.
The prior proposed language states: "The provisions of this section shall be prospective, such that alimony judgments entered before the effective date of this act shall terminate only as set forth in [§] 7 (b) of this chapter." Section 7 (b) of the earlier draft provided in part that "[e]nactment of this chapter shall be deemed a material change of circumstance that warrants modification of existing alimony judgments that exceed durational limits . . . ." That portion of § 7 (b) was retained in uncodified § 4 (b).
It is apparent that, standing alone, the broad language, "alimony judgments entered before the effective date of this act shall terminate only" in accordance with the provisions relating to durational limits, could have been read to suggest that such judgments could not be modified on any basis, including a change in circumstances or as otherwise provided in the judgment. This was corrected by the drafters in the final version. The language now appears in uncodified § 4 (a) and incorporates the clarifying comments of the representatives that "alimony judgments entered before March 1, 2012 shall terminate only under such judgments" or "under a subsequent modification."
[Note 10] George suggests that in Holmes v. Holmes, 467 Mass. 653 , 661 n.9 (2014), we effectively confirmed that the alimony reform act does, in fact, apply retroactively to judgments issued prior to its effective date. A footnote in that case, commenting on arguments by a party who did not appeal from the decision of a trial judge, was not intended to be dispositive of the question posed here.

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