Opinion ID: 1159233
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: advance payment

Text: The district court found that [g]iven the financial circumstances of the parties and the needs of [wife] and the child between the entry of the final decree and the last day of the trial, the total moneys paid to [wife] by [husband] during that period equal a reasonable amount of child and spousal support for that period. Husband argues on appeal, that the district court should have found that $2,000.00 of the money paid by him prior to the entry of the final judgment constituted an advance on the parties' division of their community property. The record shows that during the course of litigation, husband requested the postponement of several hearings, including the hearing on the merits which was scheduled for July 9 and 10, 1980. On July 3, 1980, at the hearing on husband's motion for continuance, husband's counsel advised the district court that husband was willing and prepared to pay $2,000.00 as an advance on the community property division to wife so that she would not be prejudiced by the delay. The record also clearly indicates that the district court stated to both husband's and wife's attorneys, its intention to reserve a determination as to how to account for the advance until after the final hearing, when the amount of interim support which husband was paying to wife would be disclosed to the district court. The district court later determined that this money should be treated as interim support, apparently feeling that the previously agreed amount was inadequate. Therefore, because we similarly find no abuse of discretion by the district court in determining that the $2,000.00 constituted child support and was not an advance on community property, we affirm the district court on this point. See Creusere v. Creusere, 98 N.M. 788, 653 P.2d 164 (1982); First National Bank of Santa Fe v. Wood, 86 N.M. 165, 521 P.2d 127 (1974).