Opinion ID: 2550334
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: interest on child support arrearage

Text: ¶ 9 Mother argues that title 12, subsection 727(C) of the Oklahoma Statutes, providing for compound interest on certain judgments, applies to delinquent child support payments. She reasons that a delinquent child support payment is transformed into a judgment by operation of law, see 43 O.S. 2001, § 137(A), and should draw compound interest pursuant to title 12, subsection 727(C). Father argues title 12, subsection 727(C) conflicts with title 43, section 114 of the 2001 Oklahoma Statutes. He reasons because title 43, section 114 is a specific statute which provides for simple interest on delinquent child support payments, it controls over title 12, section 727(C), a general statute. We agree with Father. ¶ 10 Title 43, section 114 provides: Court-ordered child support payments and court-ordered payments of suit moneys shall draw interest at the rate of ten percent (10%) per year from the date they become delinquent. (Emphasis added.) We construed similar language in Lee v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., 1987 OK 80, ¶¶ 6-8, 743 P.2d 1067, 1069. The 1971 version of title 12, section 727 provided: All judgments of courts of record shall bear interest, at the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum, from the date of rendition.... We determined that nothing in this language implied a legislative intent that interest be compounded. Id. ¶ 7, 743 P.2d at 1069. Similarly, we find nothing in title 43, section 114's language which would imply a legislative intent that interest be compounded, rather the intent is for delinquent child support payments to draw simple interest, whether or not memorialized in a court order. ¶ 11 Title 12, subsection 727(A)(1) provides: Except as otherwise provided by this section, all judgments of courts of record ... shall bear interest at a rate prescribed pursuant to this section. Subsection 727(C) provides for the accrued postjudgment interest, together with the judgment, to draw interest at a variable rate. ¶ 12 A conflict results between title 43, section 114, applying ten percent simple interest specifically to delinquent child support payments and title 12, subsection 727(C), providing for annual compounding of interest at a variable rate. When there is a conflict between two statutes, one specific and one general, the statute enacted for the purpose of dealing with the subject matter controls over the general statute. King v. King, 2005 OK 4, ¶ 22, 107 P.3d 570, 579. Because title 43, section 114 specifically deals with interest on delinquent child support payments, it controls in the present case. The trial court correctly determined interest on the $42,257.00 in unpaid child support should accrue at ten percent per year and should not be compounded.