Opinion ID: 2232799
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Support Enforcement Acts of 1986 and 1987

Text: Until 1986, child support and other types of arrears, including maintenance, were treated similarly. In the New York State Support Enforcement Act of 1986, the Legislature for the first time carved out a special category for child support arrears, barring any reduction or cancellation. The law created the current version of Domestic Relations Law § 244, which mandates that the court shall make an order directing the entry of judgment for the amount of arrears of child support, with no exception ( see , L 1986, ch 892, § 8, amended by L 1988, ch 327, § 1). With regard to arrears of any other payments, the court is required to enter judgment for the full amount unless the defaulting spouse shows good cause for failing to request relief before the arrears accumulated ( see , id. ). [4] An identical change was made to the analogous Family Court Act provision ( see , Family Ct Act § 460 [1] [as amended by L 1986, ch 892, § 24]). Similar alterations distinguishing between child support and maintenance arrears were made to the enforcement and modification provisions  Domestic Relations Law § 236 (B) (9) (b) and Family Court Act § 451 ( see , L 1986, ch 892, §§ 4, 21). Domestic Relations Law § 236 (B) (9) (b) was amended again the next year as part of the Support Enforcement Act of 1987, and that section now provides: [N]o modification or annulment shall reduce or annul any arrears of child support which have accrued prior to the date of application    The court shall not reduce or annul any arrears of maintenance which have been reduced to final judgment pursuant to section two hundred forty-four of this chapter. No other arrears of maintenance which have accrued prior to the making of such application shall be subject to modification or annulment unless the defaulting party shows good cause for failure to make application for relief from the judgment or order directing such payment prior to the accrual of such arrears (Domestic Relations Law § 236 [B] [9] [b] [as amended by L 1987, ch 815, § 7]). The Family Court Act analogue likewise mandates that any Family Court modification, set aside or vacatur shall not reduce or annul child support arrears accrued prior to the making of an application pursuant to this section and shall not reduce or annul any other arrears unless the defaulting party shows good cause for failure to make application for relief    prior to the accrual of the arrears (Family Ct Act § 451 [as amended by L 1986, ch 892, § 21] [emphasis added]). The purpose of the recent revisions was to preclude[] `forgiveness' of child support arrears to ensure that respondents are not financially rewarded for failing either to pay the order or to seek its modification (Governor's Mem Approving L 1986, ch 892, 1986 NY Legis Ann, at 361). Under the present enforcement scheme, then, [n]o excuses at all are tolerated with respect to child support (Scheinkman, Practice Commentary, McKinney's Cons Laws of NY, Book 14, Domestic Relations Law § 244, at 752). Child support arrears must be awarded in full , regardless of whether the defaulter has good cause for having failed to seek modification prior to their accumulation ( see , Besharov, 1986 Supp Practice Commentaries, McKinney's Cons Laws of NY, Book 29A, Family Ct Act § 451, 1997 Pocket Part, at 133; Gallet and Finn, Spouse and Child Support in New York § 16:2). If a party obligated to pay child support wishes to avoid making payment, such as where his or her financial circumstances have deteriorated, that party must make an affirmative request for relief (Scheinkman, Practice Commentary, McKinney's Cons Laws of NY, Book 14, Domestic Relations Law § 244, at 752). The recipient of child support payments, however, is subject to a limitations period and, therefore, cannot delay enforcement indefinitely. Prior to 1987, the applicable period was six years unless the order had been reduced to judgment ( see , Tauber v Lebow , 65 N.Y.2d 596, supra ). Tellingly, as part of the Support Enforcement Act of 1987, the Legislature extended the Statute of Limitations for all subsequent actions for support, alimony or maintenance to 20 years from the date of default, regardless of whether the arrears have been reduced to judgment ( see , CPLR 211 [e]). Against this statutory background, we turn to the issue of waiver.