Court Opinion

ID: 9737656
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 19:31:36.179824+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:00.503421
License: Public Domain

RATLIFF, Judge,
dissenting.
When a parent subject to a support order for the benefit of his minor dependent children voluntarily terminates his employment, he should not be able to use his unemployment as a means of escaping his responsibilities to his children. In fact, he should be treated as if he remained employed at his former job and his support obligations determined accordingly.
Ind.Child Support Guideline 3(A)(3) specifically provides:
“If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, child support shall be calculated based on a determination of potential income. A determination of potential income shall be made by determining employment potential and probable earnings level based on the obligor’s work history, occupational qualifications, prevailing job opportunities, and earnings levels in the community....”
The Commentary to the above quoted guideline provides: “One purpose of potential income is to discourage a parent from taking a lower paying job to avoid the payment of significant support.” Here, Michael Ullery did more than take a lower paying job — he quit his job. Such conduct equally should be discouraged.
In Gerber v. Gerber (1985), Ind.App., 476 N.E.2d 531, the non-custodial mother subject to a support order for her children contended that the trial court erred in failing to modify the support order where her earnings were substantially reduced. However, she had remained employed until two weeks before the hearing on her petition to modify. We affirmed the denial of her petition, stating:
“A non-custodial parent under a support order cannot voluntarily terminate her employment and then, less than two weeks later, complain to the court the order must be modified because payment is no longer within her means. To allow Michelle to do so would open the door for every non-custodial parent to do likewise in order to avoid payment of their legal and moral obligations to support their children. Michelle cites no authority which would support her position, and public policy would preclude such a potentially disasterous [sic] holding.”
Id. at 533 (emphasis added).
In Billings v. Billings (1990), Ind.App., 560 N.E.2d 553, wé affirmed an increase in support where the obligor had voluntarily quit a lucrative job and was underemployed. Citing the Child Support Guidelines, we approved the admission of the obligor’s tax returns from prior years to determine potential income. Id. at 555-56.
To the extent the majority opinion relies upon Matter of Paternity of Buehler (1991), Ind.App., 576 N.E.2d 1354, and Garrod v. Garrod (1992), Ind.App., 590 N.E.2d 163, that reliance is misplaced. Neither of those cases is apposite. In Garrod, nothing in the record revealed that the husband was voluntarily unemployed or that he had reduced his income in an effort to avoid support payments. Id. at 168. Here, it is significant that Michael quit his job after being served with Kathy’s petition to modify. See Record at 39-40. The trial court merely found that Michael was unemployed. Record at 62. Given the lack of a finding that his unemployment was not voluntary, the trial judge should have followed the guidelines and determined potential income.
Buehler also is clearly distinguishable. There, the obligor was earning the same as he had for the ten years of the parties’ relationship. Buehler, 576 N.E.2d at 1356. Thus, there was no intentional reduction of income to defeat payment of a proper amount of support. Id.
I agree with Judge Garrard’s observation in Buehler that the support guidelines are not to be used as a method of social engineering to assure that everyone is employed to his or her full earning potential; however, such is not the case here. Under the appropriate guideline, based upon his earning potential as determined from his actual earnings from the job he quit upon receiving Kathy’s petition to modify, Mi*218chael should have been ordered to pay $137.00 per week rather than the $50.00 of the order then in force. Michael should not be permitted to escape his legal and moral obligation by the device of quitting his job.
I am aware of Michael’s contention he quit his job because of perceived unfair treatment by his employer. However, while not condoning unfair treatment by his employer if such was the case, suffice it to say that many persons find some aspects of their employment distasteful but, nevertheless, keep working to meet their obligations. Perhaps Michael should have sought other employment to find relief from the treatment he regarded as unfair, but until that happened, either he should have continued his employment, or, pursuant to the guidelines, his support obligation should have been determined based upon that employment in the event of his voluntary unemployment.
I believe the majority opinion sends a message to disgruntled support obligors that they can relieve themselves of their obligations by quitting their jobs. I do not subscribe to such a view and do not believe the law can or should tolerate such a result.
For the reasons stated, I respectfully dissent.