Court Opinion

ID: 9678546
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:22:45.665899+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:05.514347
License: Public Domain

*567MILLER, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. In appellant’s only point of error he complains “. . . the judgment concerning child support payments is so vague, ambiguous and unintelligible as to constitute error as a matter of law by the trial court in ordering appellant to pay the sum of $400.00 per month as child support . . .”. I do not agree with the appellant’s basic contention that there is an irreconcilable conflict in the judgment.
The “Property and Marital Rights Agreement” is expressly divided by numbers into two parts. The first part is entitled “Division of Property.” It makes provision for the division of all real and personal property owned at the time of the divorce. The second part is entitled “Custody and Maintenance of Child.” It fixes the managing and possessory conservatorship of the child as well as attempting to provide for the support of the minor child. The divorce decree recites that:
(f) That the court finds the petitioner and respondent filed an agreed property and custody agreement with the court with the intent that it be incorporated into the final judgment of the court. The court finds the property agreement fair and reasonable.
Based on such findings, it is Decreed and Ordered :
(1) • • •
(2) That the property settlement agreement of the parties be incorporated into this divorce decree as attachment “A”;
(3) That the petitioner is appointed managing conservator of the minor child Angela Lynda Mikeska;
(4) That the respondent be appointed possessory conservator of the minor child Angela Lynda Mikeska;
(5) . . .
(6) Respondent shall pay to petitioner the sum of $400.00 per month as child support. (Emphasis supplied).
Although the Texas Family Code encourages the parties to enter into written agreements concerning conservatorship and support of the child, Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 14.06(a) (Vernon 1976), it also directs in mandatory language that the best interest of the child shall always be primary in determining these questions. Tex.Fam. Code Ann. § 14.07(a). To accomplish the latter, the trial court is not bound to accept the agreement entered into by the parties but may request them to submit a revision or make its own orders. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 14.06(b). In the case before us the trial court, in the exercise of its discretion, expressly chose only to adopt the property and custody provisions of the parties’ agreement. It also expressly found the property agreement to be fair and reasonable. It did not, however, accept or adopt the illusory support provision of no fixed obligation but rather chose to make its own order of $400.00 per month and rightly so. Without extenuating circumstances or other compensatory division of the property, neither of which appear of record, it would have been against public policy not to provide an enforceable support order for the child. Both parents have a duty to support minor children. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 12.04(3). This duty should not be lightly terminated without good cause reflected in the record.
The trial court in its findings accepted and incorporated only part of the parties’ written agreement. In its order it then itemized each question which was under its consideration. It reiterated the property and custody provisions it adopted and made its own new orders as to support. The trial court had the discretion to do both. I would affirm the trial court’s judgment.