Opinion ID: 1969590
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Multiple Family Obligations.

Text: Following the dissolution of the marriage of Dale and Nancy, Dale remarried. Three children were born to this marriage. Upon dissolution of the second marriage, Dale was given custody of the children and he provides for their support without financial assistance from their mother. He again remarried. At the time of the modification proceeding, he was supporting two children of the second marriage and a stepchild of his third marriage. Dale urges a strict application of the guidelines under these circumstances will result in a substantial injustice. The guidelines were designed to improve the adequacy of the support orders, to enhance consistent and equitable treatment of the parties, and to facilitate more efficient adjudication of the cases. Gilley v. McCarthy, 469 N.W.2d 666, 667 (Iowa 1991). In Iowa there is a rebuttable presumption that the amount of child support which would result from the application of the guidelines is the correct amount of child support to be awarded by the court. The court may adjust the amount to provide for the children's needs and to do justice between the parties. However, the court has no authority to vary from the guidelines without a written finding that the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate under the criteria contained in the guidelines. Under the guidelines the economic impact of divorce on the children is minimized. The standard of living of a custodial parent and child often falls after the separation of the parents. If either parent later enjoys a higher standard of living, then the children of the marriage may share in that higher standard. Our guidelines are not designed to merely provide minimum child support to meet the minimum needs of the child. Ideally, the parents pay child support in an amount equal to what they would have provided for the child had the family stayed together. Like most states, our guidelines do not specifically address the determination of the amount of child support in multiple family circumstances. The multiple family situation may arise from children of prior marriages, subsequent marriages, and from children born out of wedlock. We observe there is an increasing number of marriages that end with divorce and that divorced parents are likely to remarry. Upon remarriage the parents often have other children or provide support for stepchildren. When courts apply guidelines involving a parent who has remarried and is supporting children of the second marriage, they may protect the needs of the children of the first marriage, the second marriage, or both marriages. When first confronted with this issue, we adopted a first family, or first mortgage approach to second family obligations. In re Marriage of Ladely, 469 N.W.2d 663, 664-65 (Iowa 1991). In 1993 the Iowa legislature directed us, in our periodic review of the guidelines, to consider other children for whom either parent is legally responsible for support in setting monthly child support. 1993 Iowa Acts ch. 79, § 48. This statutory amendment did not require the court to consider the noncustodial parent's obligation to support other children as if they were subject to a court ordered support obligation. McIntire v. Leonard, 518 N.W.2d 793, 795 (Iowa 1994); State ex rel. Reaves v. Kappmeyer, 514 N.W.2d 101, 103-04 (Iowa 1994); State ex rel. Hartema v. Cottrell, 513 N.W.2d 765, 768 (Iowa 1994). We have rejected attempts to use the guidelines chart that reflects the parties' children in the custodial parent's home and the children or stepchildren of the noncustodial parent. Gilley, 469 N.W.2d at 667. See also Reaves, 514 N.W.2d at 103-04; In re Marriage of Gulsvig, 498 N.W.2d 725, 727 (Iowa 1993). We have also rejected attempts to reduce the noncustodial parent's income by a hypothetical amount of support for other children that the noncustodial parent is supporting. State ex rel. Epps v. Epps, 473 N.W.2d 56, 58 (Iowa 1991). See also State ex rel. Nicholson v. Toftee, 494 N.W.2d 694, 696-97 (Iowa 1993). We recognize the expenses for the support of children not subject to the action are germane in determining the financial ability of the noncustodial parent to pay the guideline child support amount. Gulsvig, 498 N.W.2d at 727; Gilley, 469 N.W.2d at 668. We have approved a downward adjustment when necessary under the circumstances. Reaves, 514 N.W.2d at 105; Nicholson, 494 N.W.2d at 695. In other cases we have found the circumstances did not justify deviation from the guidelines. Hartema, 513 N.W.2d at 768; Gulsvig, 498 N.W.2d at 727; State ex rel. Cacek v. Cacek, 484 N.W.2d 592, 594 (Iowa 1992); Epps, 473 N.W.2d at 59; Ladely, 469 N.W.2d at 665; State ex rel. Dep't of Human Servs. v. Burt, 469 N.W.2d 669, 671 (Iowa 1991). The fact that Dale was supporting three children in addition to Dody and Jason is not sufficient to establish that the guidelines amount is inequitable or excessive. See Ladely, 469 N.W.2d at 665. Although expenses related to the support of the three children is germane in determining Dale's financial ability to pay the guideline support amount, the record fails to demonstrate the application of the guideline support amount will result in substantial injustice. Therefore we affirm the district court's modification order. AFFIRMED.