Court Opinion

ID: 9712885
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:02:10.304914+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:15.045750
License: Public Domain

SHIELDS, Judge,
concurring in result in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in result in Judge Hoffman's opinion that Greg's various claims of error in the trial court's judgment dividing the marital estate are without merit. I disagree with Judge Rucker's opinion that judgment must be reversed because the judgment awards Greg more than one-half I agree the of the net marital estate. award is erroneous; however, Sandy failed to assert cross-error. Therefore, the error is not before this court.
1 also concur in result in the affirmance of the trial court's judgment ordering Greg to pay $280 per week in child support. However, I dissent from the affirmance of the trial court's judgment ordering Greg to pay all the children's medical expenses.
As noted by Judge Hoffman, the trial court determined Greg's support obligation within the framework of the Ind. Child Support Guidelines. The Guidelines support amount is based upon the share of the parental income that would have been spent on the child or children if the family were still intact. The assumption is an intact family spends an amount on usual and ordinary health care for the children in the family. The Guidelines have set six percent (6%) of the combined parental income as the amount of that expenditure and have included that amount in the presumptive guideline amount. Any deviation requires a written finding articulating the basis for the deviation. That written finding does not exist here. Hence, to the extent Greg is ordered to pay one hundred percent of the expense of the children's usual and ordinary health care, he is paying twice. Therefore, in my opinion, the trial court's medical expense order is erroneous and that part of the judgment should be reversed and the cause remanded for a redetermination of Greg's obligation for health expenses consistent with the philosophy of the Guidelines. Grammer v. Grammer (1991), Ind.App., 566 N.E.2d 1080. In all other aspects, I fully concur in Judge Hoffman's opinion.
I vote to reverse the trial court's judgment only as to the determination Greg shall pay one hundred percent of the children's health expenses. In all other matters, I vote to affirm the judgment.