Opinion ID: 2171636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Presumption Rebutted

Text: The gravamen of Humphrey's complaint is that through the combined workings of the support guidelines and welfare reimbursement rules, he is being required to support children who are not his own. He is correct, and the reality of that is adequate grounds for deviation from the guideline amount. Woods must assign any child support payments due her, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 602(a)(26). Of the nearly $700 a month that Humphrey pays, under the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 657(b) only $50 per month is disbursed directly to Woods. [3] The remainder is retained by the welfare department, as reimbursement for AFDC benefits she receives. [4] There will not be any further direct distribution to her until the AFDC payments to her entire household are reimbursed. (Brief of Appellee at 16). Under this system, $50 per month of Humphrey's payment goes to support Justin and part of it serves to reimburse the AFDC program for money it has spent on Justin's behalf. Much of Humphrey's court-ordered payment, however, goes to reimburse the AFDC program for money it has spent to provide for three children Humphrey did not father. These facts as a matter of law rebut the presumption that $155 a week was the correct amount of child support to be awarded in this case. Humphrey has no legal obligation to support any children other than his own. Grossman v. Lauber and Another (1868), 29 Ind. 618, 620; Pilgrim v. Pilgrim (1947), 118 Ind. App. 6, 75 N.E.2d 159; Treschman v. Treschman (1901), 28 Ind. App. 206, 61 N.E. 961, 962. See also Ind. Code § 31-6-6.1-10(a) (West Supp. 1991) (hearing required on support, custody, and visitation [u]pon finding that a man is the child's biological father ) (emphasis added). Humphrey's showing that the presumptive amount leads to requiring him to support children who are not his renders the trial court's use of the presumptive amount clearly erroneous. The Court of Appeals held that the presumptive amount may be effectively rebutted where, as here, an obligor shows that a sizeable portion of the presumptive amount cannot possibly reach his or her child under existing circumstances. 561 N.E.2d at 504. While the Court of Appeals did not instruct the trial court to order Humphrey to pay a specified amount, the State reasonably construes the holding to mean Humphrey should pay only $50 a month in support  the amount reaching Woods through the welfare department disbursements. The State also contends that if the Court of Appeals decision is upheld and obligors such as Humphrey are allowed to pay only $50 a month, the State will suffer multimillion-dollar penalties for non-compliance with Title IV-D, which explicitly requires a plan for reimbursement of AFDC benefits from assigned child support payments (see 42 U.S.C. §§ 654, 657). Our decision today should alleviate those fears, for Humphrey will be required to reimburse the government for AFDC payments made to Woods for Justin's care, just as the father or fathers of Woods' other children must do if paternity is established and support ordered. The fact that Woods is on AFDC does not mean that Humphrey's responsibility to his child is different from that of any other parent. The AFDC reimbursement system is not grounds for leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for most of Justin's support. If Justin's needs and share of AFDC money constitute, say, $150 a month, the support order should provide for reimbursement of that $150 plus the $50 which will go directly to assist Justin. The State also argues on behalf of Woods that $155 a week was proper because Justin is entitled to be supported in a style commensurate with Humphrey's societal position. Stutz v. Stutz (1990), Ind. App., 556 N.E.2d 1346, 1352. The State's position is both appealing and axiomatic. The argument rings hollow, however, if Justin's mother receives only $50 a month, plus standard welfare disbursements regardless of how much Humphrey is made to pay. There is no apparent method by which Justin can be supported in a style commensurate with Humphrey's socioeconomic position under these particular circumstances. If the reimbursement system permitted additional assistance to Justin after AFDC had been repaid for the funds it spent on Justin, then the presumptive amount might well be appropriate.