Source: http://rochesterfamilylawyer.korotkinlaw.com/category/court-orders/page/8/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 21:41:24+00:00

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There is a presumption, applicable to child support enforcement proceedings in Family Court that a party, against whom a child support order was issued, has sufficient means to support his/her minor children. See Family Court Act § 437. The evidence that the party directed to pay child support has failed to pay support as ordered, constitutes “prima facie evidence of a willful violation”. Family Court Act § 454(3)(a). Once the petition alleging willful violation of a child support order was filed in the Family Court, the burden then shifts to respondent to adduce some competent, credible evidence of his/her inability to make the required payments. If the requisite showing is not made, the party will be found to have willfully failed to pay child support. Once this finding is made, the party is liable to a range of penalties, including attorneys fees and possible incarceration.
This presumption does not apply to child support enforcement proceedings brought in Supreme Court under the Domestic Relations law. If an enforcement proceeding is brought in Supreme Court, the usual remedies sought are a judgment for any unpaid arrears, attorneys fees and, possibly, a finding of contempt. The burden of proof applicable to contempt proceedings is much higher than that applicable to the proceedings brought under Family Court Act § 437.
The New York courts use a statutory guidelines to determine what child support amount the non-custodial parent is obligated to pay. The guidelines as applicable to the Supreme Court in actions for separation and divorce are contained in Domestic Relations Law §240 and its counterpart for the Family Court is contained in Family Court Act §413. New York child support amounts are based partly on the non-custodial parent’s adjusted gross income and partly on how many children are on the order. The court determines the non-custodial parent’s gross income, and then deducts from that amount Medicare, social security tax, New York City or Yonkers tax, and other allowable deductions to establish the non-custodial parent’s adjusted gross income. An identical calculation is performed with respect to the income of the custodial parent. The court then multiplies the combined adjusted gross income by the standard guideline percentage for the number of children. These percentages are 17% for one child, 25% for two children, 29% for three children, 31% for four children, and at least 35% for five or more children. Subsequently, that child support amount is multiplied by the ratio of non-custodial parent’s adjusted gross income to the combined adjusted gross income.
The standard guideline is applied to most parental earnings up to $80,000 (minus certain local and social security tax amounts). This includes any worker’s compensation, disability payments, unemployment benefits, social security payments, and many other forms of income. Beyond $80,000, the courts determine whether or not to use the percentage guidelines, and may consider other factors in determining the full support amount.
The State of New York provides for interest on missed payments and adjudicated arrears at a rate of 9% per year, but only on arrearages reduced to a money judgment by the courts.
New York has recently made changes to its child support enforcement statutes to comply with the new federal requirements. Changes to the fee for child support enforcement services followed a new federal requirement. The states are required to charge an annual fee of $25 in every child support case in which $500 is collected during the federal fiscal year. The fee applies only to those for whom the support is being collected and who never received public assistance. For those who have received pubic assistance, the statute increases the pass-through charge from $50 to $100, as of Oct. 1, 2008, and to $200 as of Jan. 1, 2010, when two or more children are involved.
In New York State, a parent’s obligation to pay child support terminates when the child reaches the age of 21. However, in situations where a parent is charged with the financial responsibility of paying for the child’s college education, this support obligation may extend well beyond the age of 21. In the case of Lamb v. Amigone, 12 A.D.3d 1165 (4th Dept. 2004), the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, held that unless the parties’ Separation Agreement made a specific reference to parental contribution toward college expenses terminating at the age of majority, the parental college expense contribution continued beyond the age of 21.
That result was also reached by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Schonour v. Johnson, 27 A.D.3d 1059 (4th Dept. 2006), where the Court held that where “[i]n their stipulation, the parties did not place any age limitation on their mutual promises to contribute to the costs of their daughters’ undergraduate college educations”, the appellant was obligated to pay for his daughters’ four years of college education regardless of their age.
Similarly, the court can order payment of college expenses even where the child reaches the age of majority if special circumstances exist. See Domestic Relations Law § 240 [1-b] [c] ; also, Krouner v. Urbach, 267 A.D.2d 575 (3rd Dept. 1999); Smith v Smith, 174 AD2d 818, 819 (3rd Dept. 1991).
Thus, both stipulations of settlement and settlement agreements must be carefully prepared and reviewed to make sure that they conform with the parties’ intent. Otherwise, the parties may find themselves in court, relitigating provisions of their settlement many years later.
2. being a parent, guardian or other person obligated to make child support payments by an order of child support entered by a court of competent jurisdiction for a child less than eighteen years old, he or she knowingly fails or refuses without lawful excuse to provide support for such child when he or she is able to do so, or becomes unable to do so, when, though employable, he or she voluntarily terminates his or her employment, voluntarily reduces his or her earning capacity, or fails to diligently seek employment.
Penal Law §260.06 makes such failure to support a felony if a person was convicted of violating Penal Law §260.05 within the last 5 years. Such charges are available in conjunction with other remedies available to the recipient of child support under the Family Court Act, the Domestic Relations Law and the Judiciary Law. Both sections take effect on November 1, 2008.
Governor Paterson has recently signed a law which expands access to Civil Orders of Protection, allowing a person who is, or was, in an intimate relationship with an abuser – even though not related to that person – to seek an order of protection in Family Court. This substantially expands protections for victims, who for a variety of reasons may be unwilling to press charges in criminal court. Family Court Act §812 (1) (c) was amended to include in the list of persons who the court has jurisdiction to grant an order of protection to: (1) persons formerly married to one another, “regardless of whether they still reside in the same household” and (2) persons who are not related by consanguinity or affinity. Subdivision (e) was added to Family Court Act §812 to include in the list of persons who the court has jurisdiction over for the purpose of granting an order of protection, “persons who are or have been in an intimate relationship regardless of whether such persons have lived together at any time”. For purposes of subdivision (e), neither a casual acquaintance nor ordinary fraternization between two individuals in business or social contexts shall be deemed to constitute an “intimate relationship”. Factors the court may consider in determining whether a relationship is an “intimate relationship” include, but are not limited to: the nature or type of relationship, regardless of whether the relationship is sexual in nature; the frequency of interaction between the persons; and the duration of the relationship. Laws of 2008,, Ch 325, § 10, effective July 21, 2008). This significantly enlarges the number of situations where a party can obtain an order of protection from the Family Court.

References: § 437
 § 454
 § 437
 §240
 §413
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 § 240
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 §260
 §260
 §812
 §812
 § 10