Court Opinion

ID: 9709885
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 03:56:46.696555+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:52.328485
License: Public Domain

MESCHKE, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in most of the analysis and in the result. I do not quarrel with the discussion about the time frame for measuring a material change in circumstances, but I believe it is unnecessary in this case. In my view, a temporary statute avoids the need to find a change in circumstances in order to modify child support.
Section 16 of ch. 148, 1989 ND Laws, effective October 1, 1990, as amended by 1991 ND Laws ch. 152, § 1, effective July 7, 1991, created a temporary new section to NDCC ch. 14-09, effective through October 1, 1993. This temporary version is published in the Note below NDCC 14-09-08.4 (effective October 1, 1993) in the North Dakota Century Code. Subsections 3 and 4 of that temporary version are the same as subsections 3 and 4 of NDCC 14-09-08.4 that becomes effective on October 1, 1993. They say:
3. If a child support order sought to be amended was entered at least one year before the filing of a motion or petition for amendment, the court shall order the amendment of the child support order to conform the amount of child support payment to that required under the child support guidelines, whether or not a material change of circumstances has taken place, unless the presumption that the correct amount of child support would result from the application of the child support guidelines is rebutted. If a motion or petition for amendment is filed within one year of the entry of the order sought to be amended, the party seeking amendment must also show a material change of circumstances.
4. A determination that a child who is the subject of a child support order is eligible for benefits furnished under subsection 18 or 20 of section 50-06-05.1, chapter 50-09, or chapter 50-24.1, or any substantially similar program operated by any state or tribal government, constitutes a material change of circumstances. The availability of health insurance at reasonable cost to a child who is the subject of a child support order constitutes a material change of circumstances.
Unlike the opinion by Justice Neumann, which does not refer to this temporary statute, and barely refers to NDCC 14-09-08.4(3) in footnote 5, I would apply subsection 3 here and dispense with the need to find a material change of circumstances to conform the child support to the guidelines.
This child support order was entered more than one year before Kevin moved, on January 7, 1992, to modify the child support. There are enough complications to sort out on remand here, without imposing another one to ascertain a change of circumstances.
LEVINE, J., concurs.