Opinion ID: 2831340
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Separate Statutory Treatment of SAPCRs

Text: By amending section 157.167 to expressly allow courts to enforce attorney’s fee awards “by any means available for the enforcement of child support,” the Legislature codified the past practice of awarding attorney’s fees in SAPCR proceedings under the common-law doctrine of necessaries, but only with respect to enforcement proceedings. TEX . FAM . CODE § 157.167(a). The development of separate and distinct provisions for modification and enforcement suits evinces Legislative intent that such proceedings merit different treatment. But the development of divergent statutory frameworks for different SAPCR proceedings against a common-law backdrop has understandably led to a lack of uniformity in the courts of appeals. Though the Family Code now provides wholly separate chapters for suits for modification and enforcement, trial courts are often presented with cases in which parties seek both modification and enforcement of support orders. Considering the inextricability of modification and enforcement issues in many SAPCR proceedings, it follows that trial courts placed in such circumstances would maintain similar discretion to award attorney’s fees as child support. On the facts of this case the Court need not decide whether attorney’s fees can be taxed as child support in these blended proceedings. But such proceedings are likely the source of conflicting case law among the courts of appeals. Now, having explained whether attorney’s fees can be awarded as additional child 9 support in non-enforcement modification proceedings, at least a substantial amount of that confusion should be resolved.