Opinion ID: 1214427
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Assignment of Past-Due Child Support

Text: We first address whether past-due child support is assignable to private collection agencies such as CSE. We review the trial court's resolution of this question of law nondeferentially for correctness. Ong Int'l (U.S.A.) Inc. v. 11th Ave. Corp., 850 P.2d 447, 452 (Utah 1993). Debts are generally subject to discharge, negotiation, or settlement. Baggs v. Anderson, 528 P.2d 141, 143 (Utah 1974). However, there is an exception to this general rule when the debt is for child support. A child's right to support is not subject to being bartered away, extinguished, estopped or in any way defeated by the agreement or conduct of the parents. Hills v. Hills, 638 P.2d 516, 517 (Utah 1981). Although child support is payable to the custodial parent, the right to child support belongs to the child. Id.; Hansen v. Gossett, 590 P.2d 1258, 1260 (Utah 1979); Gulley v. Gulley, 570 P.2d 127, 129 (Utah 1977); Wasescha v. Wasescha, 548 P.2d 895, 896 (Utah 1976); Baggs, 528 P.2d at 143. In Baggs, we recognized that child-support obligations fall into two distinct categories. 528 P.2d at 143. Current and ongoing support belongs to the child and cannot be bartered away or assigned. Id. However, a claim for past-due child support creates a right to reimbursement which belongs exclusively to the person who provided the support. Id. The existence of a past-due child-support obligation means that someone else was forced to support the child in the absent parent's stead. Because such past-due child-support claim does not belong to the child, the exception to the general rule no longer applies. Therefore, the past-due child-support claim is subject to negotiation, settlement, satisfaction or discharge in the same manner as any other debt. Id. This reasoning logically extends to the assignment of past-due child-support claims. Because such claims do not belong to the child, the child will suffer no loss by the assignment of the debt. Because the right to reimbursement belongs to the person who provided the support, that person is free to assign the debt, just as she is free to discharge, settle, or negotiate the debt. We conclude that a debt for past-due child support is assignable by the person who provided the support to a private collection agency. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did not err in finding that the custodial parents in these cases could assign their past-due child support claims to CSE. [4]