Opinion ID: 1649918
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Amendment of Support Obligation

Text: [1] The defendant-husband does not dispute the authority of the court to modify or revise a judgment or support award as provided in sec. 247.25 [5] and sec. 247.32, [6] Stats. 1975. [7] See also: Krause v. Krause, 58 Wis.2d 499, 508-09, 206 N.W.2d 589 (1973), and Monson v. Monson, 85 Wis.2d 794, 271 N.W.2d 137 (Ct. App. 1978). However, the burden of proof to show that the modification of a divorce judgment is justified is on the party seeking to alter the provisions of the prior judgment. Krause v. Krause, supra . [2] In Krause v. Krause, supra , this court held that a court may modify the provisions of a judgment of divorce relating to support money, only when there has been a substantial change in the circumstances of the parties or children and the modification . . . would be in the best interests of the children. [8] Id. at 509; Kritzik v. Kritzik, 21 Wis.2d 442, 448, 124 N.W.2d 581 (1963). The defendant thus contends that the court abused its discretion in increasing the amount of child support without a sufficient showing of a change in circumstances. The court's decision to increase the child support payments was based on its finding that there had been a substantial increase in the cost of living (35 to 40%) in the 4 years since the date of the divorce and that the husband-appellant was able to pay the increase in support, the court said: I do feel that the Court can find as a fact that there has been a change in circumstances in terms of inflation alone. Now, you can say what you want, but the cost of living has gone up about 35 to 40 percent in four years. I think, based on this gentleman's income, that $70.00 a month is not sufficient support money in terms of inflation. Taking into account a 40 percent increase in the cost of living, I think that for the Court to order $300.00 for the three children would not be unfair to either side here, and that's what the court will order him to pay, based on the inflation rate. Based on its findings that the 35 to 40% increase in the cost of living constitutes a substantial change in circumstances the court therefore modified the divorce judgment. [3] On appeal this court has developed two tests for reviewing a trial court's modification of a divorce judgment: Where the modification rests entirely on a factual determination the test is whether that determination is contrary to the great weight of the evidence. Where the modification rests primarily on an exercise of discretion the test is whether there was an abuse of discretion by the trial court. Thies v. MacDonald, 51 Wis.2d 296, 303-04, 187 N.W.2d 186 (1971). The trial court's modification of the support obligation, allowing an increase in the monthly support payments of $30 per minor child to account for a 35 to 40% increase in the cost of living, involves an exercise of discretion on the part of the trial court. Thus the test to be applied on review is whether the trial court abused its discretion in finding that a 35 to 40% increase in the cost of living constitutes a sufficient material change in circumstances justifying a proportional modification of the amount of child support to be paid by the appellant. [4] In Dittberner v. Dittberner, 54 Wis.2d 671, 196 N.W. 2d 643 (1972), a case involving a modification of a divorce judgment, this court stated that proper discretion is exercised where the trial court has considered the combined needs of the wife or children and the husband's ability to pay. It was held in Anderson v. Anderson, 72 Wis.2d 631, 242 N.W.2d 165 (1976), that an abuse of discretion may arise when there is a failure to consider all of the relevant facts and principles of law applicable to a particular situation or where, under the circumstances, the award is considered excessive or inadequate. Moreover, this court has held that any modification of child support, in the absence of a material change in the premise (circumstances) on which the original determination was made, constitutes an abuse of discretion. Severson v. Severson, 71 Wis.2d 382, 238 N.W.2d 116 (1976). An increase in the cost of living is among the relevant factors to be considered when determining whether there is a material change in circumstances. In Miller v. Miller, 67 Wis.2d 435, 227 N.W.2d 626 (1975), this court stated: The aging of the children, the increased cost of living, the ability of the noncustodial parent to pay, the marital status of the parents, and the financial status of the parents and their spouses, are among the relevant factors to be considered in determining whether a material change in the circumstances has occurred. Id. at 443. (Emphasis supplied.) [5] It should be noted that under the new divorce statutes, sec. 247.32(1), Stats. 1977, a substantial change in the cost of living by either party or as measured by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics may be sufficient to justify a revision of judgment. Therefore, it is clear that a substantial rise in the cost of living is a relevant factor to be considered by the court when determining whether there has been a substantial change in circumstances requiring modification of that provision in the judgment dealing with child support. In fact, this court on a number of occasions has held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when increasing the amount of child support to be paid where it found a rise in the cost of living, along with a number of other factors. In Foregger v. Foregger, 48 Wis.2d 512, 180 N.W.2d 578 (1970), this court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in increasing the child support obligation where there was a rise in the cost of living as well as a shift in the financial responsibility and the custodial parent was now in part responsible for taxes, insurance and the maintenance of the home. As a result of the shift in financial responsibility, the noncustodial parent was financially able to absorb the increase in child support. In Setzer v. Setzer, 251 Wis. 234, 29 N.W.2d 62 (1947), this court reasoned there was no abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court in increasing the child support where there was an increase in the age of the children, a sharp increase in the cost of living, or a change in the custodial parent's financial position and/or a showing that the noncustodial parent could financially absorb the increase. The circumstances found in this case are similar to those recited in the Setzer case. The court's findings in this case establish: 1. an increase in the age of the children since the time of the divorce; 2. a sharp increase (35 to 40% as recited in the record) in the cost of living in the four years since the divorce; 3. that the plaintiff-wife's testimony, contrary to the contents of her affidavit in support of the order to show cause, demonstrated to the satisfaction of the court that even though she now earned $200 to $250 from the coffee shop the court found her earnings to be inadequate, when combined with her other income, to support the children. Moreover, since the sale of the farm, the family no longer have the benefit of the farm produce to feed the children. Thus, there has been a change in the custodial parent's (plaintiff) financial position; and 4. that the $30 per month/per child increase in child support in fact would require the defendant to pay less in total child support ($300 for three children), than he was formerly paying ($490 for seven children). Furthermore, the trial court made a finding that the defendant-husband was financially able to meet the increased child support payments. [9] It should be noted that the defendant's income had remained substantially the same since the date of the divorce and also that he would be receiving $11,000 in satisfaction of the mortgage lien. [6] Therefore, we hold that the court's finding that a 35 to 40% increase in the cost of living since the entry of the original child support decree was a substantial change in circumstances and thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion when modifying the child support order.