Opinion ID: 2632896
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Calculation of Abatement

Text: [¶ 20] Mother's challenge to the order granting Father's abatement is two-fold. First, she claims the district court erred by abating Father's child support for time in August when he did not have the children for fifteen (15) consecutive days as required by the abatement statute. Second, she contends the district court erred by abating Father's support by one-hundred percent (100%) for the summer months. [¶ 21] We have not previously set forth a standard of review applicable to orders abating child support. The parties suggest that the abuse of discretion standard may be appropriate. See, e.g., Bellamy v. Bellamy, 949 P.2d 875, 876 (Wyo.1997) (involving the modification of child support and the failure to properly file claims for abatements). We can also envision appellate review of abatement orders centering upon disputed factual issues, in which case our clearly erroneous standard of review would apply. Hammond v. Hammond, 14 P.3d 199, 203 (Wyo.2000). However, such factual issues are not at issue here. This case rests primarily upon the proper interpretation of the child support abatement statute, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305. Statutory interpretation presents a question of law, which we review de novo. Bd. of County Comm'rs v. City of Cheyenne, 2004 WY 16, ¶ 8, 85 P.3d 999, 1002 (Wyo.2004).
[¶ 22] In his claim for abatement, Father requested that credit be given for the dates of June 11, 2005, through August 22, 2005. Mother objected to that time period, asserting that Father was only entitled to abate his support through August 7, 2005, because the children were in her care from August 8, 2005, through August 15, 2005. Due to this gap in Father's visitation period, she contends that Father cannot claim abatement through August 22, 2005. [¶ 23] Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(a) sets forth the amount of time a non-custodial parent must have the children in his or her care before a proper claim for abatement may be made. [3] In that regard, the statute provides that child support shall abate by one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation for each day the noncustodial parent has physical custody for fifteen (15) or more consecutive days. The statute further provides that [f]or the purposes of computing abatement and determining whether the noncustodial parent has met the consecutive day requirement of this subsection, overnight and weekend visits with the custodial parent during the period for which abatement is claimed shall be disregarded. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(a). [¶ 24] In this case, it is not disputed that Mother had the children in her care from August 8, 2005, through August 15, 2005. This time period is longer than the overnight or weekend visits the statute permits to be disregarded. Accordingly, Father was required to have the children for another consecutive fifteen (15) days after they were returned to his care on August 15, 2005, in order to properly claim abatement for that time. He did not meet the requisite amount of time and, therefore, it was improper to abate his support after August 8, 2005. [¶ 25] Father urges us to find that Mother's one week visitation is akin to a weekend visit and thus does not interrupt the period of calculating Father's abatement. However, we are bound by the plain language of the statute, which defines what may be considered a weekend visit. The statute provides: For purposes of this section, `weekend' means any two (2) consecutive days, except if a legal holiday precedes or follows the days constituting a weekend under this section the weekend shall consist of three (3) days. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(h). The statute does not permit the district court to disregard longer periods of time. The omission of words from a statute is considered to be an intentional act by the Legislature, and [we] will not supply words in the process of interpretation. Fullmer v. Wyoming Employment Sec. Comm'n., 858 P.2d 1122, 1124 (Wyo.1993). We conclude that the district court erred by allowing Father's claim for abatement beyond August 8, 2005.
[¶ 26] Mother also claims that the district court improperly abated Father's child support obligation in excess of the amount authorized by statute. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305 governs child support abatements and provides in pertinent part: (a) Unless otherwise ordered by the court, child support shall abate by one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation for each day the noncustodial parent has physical custody of the child for whom support is due, provided that the noncustodial parent has custody of the child for fifteen (15) or more consecutive days. For the purposes of computing abatement and determining whether the noncustodial parent has met the consecutive day requirement of this subsection, overnight and weekend visits with the custodial parent during the period for which abatement is claimed shall be disregarded. . . . Mother reads this statute as restricting the amount of abatement to one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation, unless the court has otherwise ordered a different percentage in the support order. Because the parties' support order is silent regarding abatements, she contends that the one-half (1/2) figure found in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305 applies, and it was error for the district court to abate Father's full support obligation for the summer months. [¶ 27] Father views Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305 much differently. He interprets the unless otherwise ordered by the court language of subparagraph (a) as conferring broad discretion upon the district court to abate support in any amount it desires. Father argues that the order approving his claim for abatement is the order referenced in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305. [¶ 28] Although we commented in Bellamy, 949 P.2d at 877, that [t]he legislature has described the mechanics of abatement with clarity, we have not previously construed the meaning of unless otherwise ordered by the court in the operation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(a). To aid us in that determination, [w]e turn to our well-established rules of statutory interpretation. The paramount consideration is to determine the [L]egislature's intent, which must be ascertained initially and primarily from the words used in the statute. We look first to the plain and ordinary meaning of the words to determine if the statute is ambiguous. A statute is clear and unambiguous if its wording is such that reasonable persons are able to agree on its meaning with consistency and predictability. Conversely, a statute is ambiguous if it is found to be vague or uncertain and subject to varying interpretations. RME Petroleum Co. v. Wyo. Dep't of Revenue, 2007 WY 16, ¶ 25, 150 P.3d 673, 683 (Wyo.2007) (internal citations omitted). [¶ 29] The statutory language unless otherwise ordered by the court contemplates some order of the court altering the right of abatement described within the statute. However, there is no temporal limitation or identification of the type of order which may suffice. Conceivably, a court order altering the statutory abatement right could be the original support order, a modification of that support order, or any order resolving an abatement claim. In this case, both the original support order and the modification of that order are silent concerning the calculation of abatements. Therefore, the only order that may have ordered otherwise is the district court's order granting Father's abatement. The issue, then, is whether this order satisfies the unless otherwise ordered by the court language contained in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305. [¶ 30] Our resolution of this issue requires interpretation of the abatement statute. We construe statutes  in pari materia; and in ascertaining the meaning of a given law, all statutes relating to the same subject or having the same general purpose must be considered and construed in harmony. McClean v. State, 2003 WY 17, ¶ 6, 62 P.3d 595, 597 (Wyo.2003). Child support payments are court-imposed obligations based on the parent's ability to pay and [are] designed to meet the needs of the children. . . . Broyles v. Broyles, 711 P.2d 1119, 1126 (Wyo.1985). Because the abatement of those support payments impacts the amount of support available to meet the children's needs, we must read Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305 in harmony with the child support guidelines. [¶ 31] The Legislature has chosen the income shares model to determine the presumptive amount of child support due. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-304(a) (LexisNexis 2005); Laura W. Morgan, Child Support Guidelines: Interpretation and Application, app. B, at 291 (Supp.2006). When calculated in accordance with the guidelines, this amount is presumed to be the correct amount of child support to be awarded in any proceeding to establish or modify temporary or permanent child support amounts. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-307(a) (LexisNexis 2005). In determining the presumptive amount of support, the guidelines contemplate differing custodial arrangements. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-304(a) is used to calculate support when one parent has physical custody of the children for the majority of the time and the other parent exercises visitation. Support is calculated using subsection (c) of the statute where each parent keeps the children overnight for more than forty percent (40%) of the year and contributes substantially to the expenses of the children in addition to the payment of child support. Finally, subsection (d) provides a child support calculation for situations where the parents enjoy split custody of the children. Regardless of the custodial situation, one parent generally has a presumptive child support obligation pursuant to the guidelines. [¶ 32] Based on the type of custodial arrangement, certain assumptions regarding the care of the children are factored into the child support guidelines. Cranston v. Cranston, 879 P.2d 345, 349 (Wyo.1994). One such assumption is that the children are living primarily with one parent but staying overnight with the other parent in an ordinary visitation arrangement, such as every other weekend, a portion of the summer and during some holidays. Id. This assumption most accurately reflects the situation of the parties involved in this case. [¶ 33] Although a certain amount of visitation is contemplated by the child support guidelines, our statutory scheme permits the abatement of support when the non-custodial parent has physical custody of the children for fifteen (15) consecutive days or more. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305. If the requisite timeframe is met, the statute provides that child support shall abate by one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation for each day the children are in the non-custodial parent's care. Id. This statement, however, is preceded by the phrase unless otherwise ordered by the court. Id. [¶ 34] Father interprets this phrase to mean that each time a claim for abatement is submitted, the district court has discretion to order the abatement of support in any amount it finds appropriate, including the full amount of support due. He asserts that the district court can exercise this discretion when it enters its order on the abatement claim. Father contends that due to the substantial expense he incurs to have the children in his care for the summer, abating his support by one hundred percent (100%) during that time is appropriate. [¶ 35] Mother disagrees with Father's rationale. She argues that abatements of one hundred percent (100%) undermine the purposes served by the presumptive child support guidelines and the strict requirements that must be met when deviating from those guidelines. Mother contends that unless it is otherwise ordered in the child support order, abatements must be in the amount of one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation. [¶ 36] We agree with Mother. When the abatement statute is read in pari materia with the child support guidelines, it becomes clear that the discretion of the district court regarding the proper amount of abatement comes into play during the proceedings involving the establishment or modification of support. The discretion to change the percentage of abatement is not conferred upon a district court when simply determining the merits of a claim for abatement. [¶ 37] In establishing support pursuant to the guidelines, the district court has discretion to deviate from the presumptive amount on a case by case basis. The statute provides a list of factors the court can appropriately consider for purposes of deviating from the presumptive child support amount. Some of the factors listed are: (i) The age of the child; (ii) The cost of necessary child day care; (iii) Any special health care and educational needs of the child; . . . (vii) The cost of transportation of the child to and from visitation; . . . (ix) The amount of time the child spends with each parent; (x) Any other necessary expenses for the benefit of the child; . . . (xiii) Other factors deemed relevant by the court. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-307(b). The parties may submit evidence in support of their position on whether a deviation is appropriate. However, deviation from the presumptive amount can only occur if the requirements of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-307(b) are followed. If a court finds that a deviation is proper, it must set forth detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-307(b). [¶ 38] In contrast, the abatement process, as outlined by the Legislature, is intended to be streamlined to make it easy for parents to seek the abatement of support following times of extended visitation. A parent wishing to claim abatement simply provides the dates the children were in his or her care and sets forth the amount of the monthly support obligation. The claim is then submitted to the clerk of the district court along with the requisite filing fee. In this case, Father submitted his claim on a pre-printed form provided by the clerk of court. After the non-custodial parent files a claim, [t]he custodial parent's right to object [is] limited solely to [the] issues related to the legitimacy or [the] accuracy of the abatement claim. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(c). The statute does not require the district court to make specific findings of fact or conclusions of law. [¶ 39] If we were to accept Father's interpretation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305, we would be rendering the phrase shall abate by one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation essentially meaningless. The purpose of abating child support payments is to reallocate those costs that decrease for the custodial parent and increase for the noncustodial parent during times of extended visitation. For example, a study conducted in South Dakota found that 38% of visitation costs are variable costs (food and other costs directly associated with the presence of the child within the household); 28% are duplicated fixed costs (housing and other expenditures incurred by both parents regardless of the child's presence in the household); and 34% are nonduplicated costs (clothing and other expenditures incurred by one parent regardless of the child's presence). Linda Lea M. Viken, Child Support in South Dakota From Obligor Only To Shared Responsibility, an Overview, 48 S.D. L.Rev. 443, 448 (2003). Applying similar research, one commentator has explained that the custodial parent's fixed costs-rent or mortgage payments, utilities, car maintenance, and medical insurance-have not decreased as a result of the visitation. Even some of the variable costs  clothing, for example-may not be affected by the extended visitation, because the child probably will bring clothes and other necessities along. The only expenses sure to decrease for the custodial parent during that . . . time are food and entertainment. Food costs are estimated to be only 18.8 to 22.5 percent of the total annual expenditures on a child, while entertainment accounts for 9.6 percent. Therefore, the custodial parent likely decreases expenditures by only 30 percent during . . . visitation. . . . Karen A. Getman, Changing Formulas for Changing Families: Shared Custody Must Not Shortchange Children, 10 Spg Fam. Advoc. 47, 49 (1988). While the specific statistics may vary, it cannot be denied that a custodial parent's expenditures on behalf of the children do not decrease by one hundred percent (100%) while the children are on extended visitation. [4] [¶ 40] We find that the Legislature's selection of the one-half (1/2) figure was not merely a suggestion. Rather, by selecting the one-half (1/2) amount for abatement, the Legislature signaled its intent to strike a balance between the decreased costs to the custodial parent and the increased costs to the non-custodial parent while extended visitation is occurring. The statute must be read to give effect to this legislative intent. [¶ 41] Based on the foregoing, we find that the proper interpretation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-305(a) is that child support shall abate by one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation unless otherwise ordered by the court in the original support order or a modification of that order. Under this approach, a district court retains discretion to abate support in an amount greater or lesser than one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation depending on what is deemed appropriate within proceedings establishing or modifying a support order. If, however, a support order fails to address abatements, the default statutory provision applies and the abatement amount is one-half (1/2) of the daily support obligation. This interpretation appears to be the most logical, consistent, and harmonious reading of the statute. [¶ 42] Father also argues that effect must be given to the decretal language which declares him to be the custodial parent in the summer months. He claims that the only way to give effect to this language is to permit abatement of his full support obligation or have Mother pay child support to him during that time. We find Father's argument unpersuasive. Mother relocated to Casper prior to entry of the divorce decree. The district court was aware of Mother's relocation when it determined the custodial arrangements for the children. Based on the custodial arrangements, the court determined that Father owed support to Mother. The district court did not deviate from the presumptive support amount even though it was clear Father would incur expenses for travel and other costs associated with the visitation schedule. If the district court intended to relieve Father of his support obligation for the summer months, it could have provided that relief in the original decree or in the subsequent modification of the support order. It did not.