Court Opinion

ID: 9785262
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 21:13:03.595234+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:36:13.929713
License: Public Domain

JABAR, J.,
dissenting.
[¶ 19] I fully agree with the Court’s finding of ambiguity in the divorce judgment’s spousal support provision. I respectfully dissent, however, because I believe the record supports the District Court’s interpretation of that ambiguous provision.
[¶ 20] Given the support provision’s acknowledged ambiguity, I focus my analysis on the second prong of the test applicable when reviewing an order clarifying a divorce judgment: whether “the court’s construction of its prior judgment is consistent with its language read as a whole and is objectively supported by the record.”5 Greenwood v. Greenwood, 2000 ME 37, ¶ 10, 746 A.2d 358, 361 (quotation marks omitted). In answering this question, we do not ourselves attempt to resolve the ambiguity; rather, we review the court’s construction for an abuse of discretion. See State v. Forbis, 2004 ME 110, ¶ 7, 856 A.2d 621, 623. Not long ago, we explained the rationale for applying this level of deference:
We have suggested that whether a clarification is consistent with the judgment as a whole and supported by the record is also subject to de novo review, at least when the court has not considered extrinsic evidence. After reconsidering the issue, however, we conclude that de novo review of the resolution of the ambiguity is inappropriate. De novo review necessarily implies that there is only one correct answer; but when a provision in a judgment is ambiguous, it is possible that more than one interpretation may be both consistent with the judgment as a whole and supported by the record. In such circumstances, deference to the trial court is appropriate. We will therefore review a court’s clarification of an ambiguity in a judgment for abuse of discretion.
Thompson v. Rothman, 2002 ME 39, ¶ 7, 791 A.2d 921, 923-24 (citations omitted).
[¶ 21] “Review for an abuse of discretion involves resolution of three questions.” Pettinelli v. Yost, 2007 ME 121, ¶ 11, 930 A.2d 1074, 1077. Thus, to determine whether the court abused its discretion in construing the divorce judgment, we must consider the following:
(1) are factual findings, if any, supported by the record according to the clear error standard; (2) did the court understand the law applicable to its exercise of discretion; and (3) given all the facts and applying the appropriate law, was the court’s weighing of the applicable facts and choices within the bounds of reasonableness.
Id. ¶ 11, 930 A.2d at 1077-78; see also Smith v. Rideout, 2010 ME 69, ¶ 13, 1 A.3d 441, 444. “In resolving any ambiguity in a *77divorce judgment, it is the intent of the divorce court, as revealed in the language of the judgment, that controls.” Greenwood, 2000 ME 37, ¶ 9, 746 A.2d at 361.
[¶ 22] The relevant portion of the ambiguous spousal support agreement states that Corcoran “will provide $160 per month or as needed to meet the deficit of [Marie’s] basic living expenses.” The District Court, after hearing the testimony of both parties, interpreted this language to mean that Corcoran’s spousal support obligation was “two-fold.” In addition to establishing a minimum level of support at $160 per month, the court construed the agreement as requiring Corcoran “to provide additional funds ‘as needed to meet the deficit [of Marie’s] basic living expenses.’ ”
[¶23] In reviewing the agreement on appeal, the Court reads the support agreement differently. Contrary to the District Court’s interpretation, the Court describes the agreement’s language as “stating that Corcoran would make monthly payments of $160 to Marie to help her pay her basic living expenses as long as it was needed.” Supra ¶ 15. Although the Court concedes that the ambiguous support agreement could “be construed to mean that the amount of the support might be adjusted as needed,” supra ¶ 13, it appears to interpret the divorce judgment as providing Marie with spousal support of $160 per month — no more, no less.
[¶ 24] These conflicting interpretations underscore two important points. First, the support agreement, drafted without the benefit of legal counsel, contains considerable uncertainty regarding the precise type and amount of support ordered.6 Although we have repeatedly cautioned that “self-represented litigants are afforded no special consideration in procedural matters,” Clearwater Artesian Well Co. v. LaGrandeur, 2007 ME 11, ¶ 8, 912 A.2d 1252, 1255, this case illustrates the crucial role of the divorce court in approving any support award. Notwithstanding the parties’ agreement, “it is the court, not the parties, that has the ultimate responsibility for fashioning and entering any judgment.” Yoder v. Yoder, 2007 ME 27, ¶ 10, 916 A.2d 228, 230. Better practice dictates careful scrutiny of such agreements, and, in my opinion, this agreement should never have been approved. See Lowd v. Dimoulas, 2005 ME 19, ¶ 5, 866 A.2d 867, 869 (“[T]here is no question that the divorce court has the authority to determine whether to reject a divorce settlement agreement.” (quotation marks omitted)).
[¶ 25] Second, given the agreement’s ambiguity, we must remain mindful that “more than one interpretation may be both consistent with the judgment as a whole and supported by the record.” Thompson, 2002 ME 39, ¶ 7, 791 A.2d at 924. The Court’s preferred interpretation — a general spousal support award of $160 per month — may well be a plausible reading of the agreement. In reviewing the District Court’s interpretation, however, the relevant question is not whether we would have come to the same decision if deciding the issue in the first instance. Instead, we are limited to deciding whether the court’s interpretation amounted to an abuse of discretion. I cannot conclude that it did.
[¶ 26] To reiterate, the support agreement states that Corcoran “will provide $160 per month or as needed to meet the deficit of [Marie’s] basic living expenses.” (Emphasis added.) In contrast to the Court’s singular focus on “$160 per month,” the primacy given to providing for Marie’s “basic living expenses” is high*78lighted by the three references to that term in the short, four-paragraph agreement. In addition to characterizing the agreement’s purpose as “maintaining and providing financial means to [Marie] to meet her basic living expenses,” the parties agreed that Corcoran would “make up the deficit of [Marie’s] income to meet [the] aforementioned expenses,” and explicitly sought to keep their arrangement in place “until [Marie’s] circumstances allow her to assume all of her basic living expenses,”
[¶ 27] Along with reviewing the agreement’s language, the court heard testimony from both parties that, in contemplation of their divorce, Corcoran and Marie jointly prepared a budget outlining Marie’s living expenses.7 For her part, Marie testified that the budget was designed to maintain the financial arrangement in place during their marriage, in which Cor-coran paid the difference between her income and living expenses. Similarly, Cor-coran himself, during questioning by the court, implicitly acknowledged the significance of providing for Marie’s basic living expenses:
COURT: Okay. And so you saw this word, “or as needed to meet the deficit of her basic living expenses,” as you typed it, right?
WITNESS: Yes. Mmhmm.
COURT: Okay. So, what did that mean?
WITNESS: That would mean — well, I don’t know what basic living expenses are, but I mean — to me its food, shelter, clothing. That would — that’s what we need to determine I guess — as what those are.
[¶ 28] Taken together, the agreement’s language and the parties’ testimony suggest that the support agreement does not merely call for a fixed monthly payment of $160. The District Court’s interpretation — that the agreement obligated Cor-coran to pay a minimum of $160 per month unless a greater amount was “needed to meet the deficit of [Marie’s] basic living expenses” — is consistent with the agreement’s language and is objectively supported by the record. In concluding to the contrary, I believe the Court fails to accord the District Court an appropriate measure of deference.
[¶ 29] After reasonably construing the agreement, the District Court properly amended the judgment to reflect its interpretation. The court’s findings regarding Marie’s “basic living expenses” are not clearly erroneous; they are, in fact, supported by the testimony of both parties. The court largely relied on the parties’ budget, which Corcoran himself acknowledged drafting, and which he agreed represented a nearly accurate accounting of Marie’s living expenses. Further, the court acted well within its discretion in adopting a mechanism designed to automatically adjust the amount of Corcoran’s spousal support obligation. The agreement provided no guidance on the issue, and the court’s amendments were necessary to effectuate the support award.
[¶ 30] Lastly, I find no error in the court’s judgment requiring Corcoran to pay $12,101.63 in arrearage. The court correctly found that Corcoran “made no attempt to fulfill his duty to pay sufficient support to ensure that [Marie]’s basic living expenses have been met,” and “avoided [Marie], discontinued payments, [and] returned bills she had forwarded to him.” It is within a court’s discretion to assess a party for support in arrears, see 19-A M.R.S. §§ 952(4), 2603 (2010), and the *79court, on a motion to enforce, has no affirmative statutory obligation to ensure that a party can make an immediate payment of arrearage.8
[¶ 31] For these reasons, I would affirm the judgment of the District Court.

. When reviewing an "order purporting to clarify a divorce judgment," we apply a two-part test: (1) whether "the court's prior judgment was ambiguous as a matter of law"; and (2) whether "the court’s construction of its prior judgment is consistent with its language read as a whole and is objectively supported by the record.” Greenwood v. Greenwood, 2000 ME 37, ¶ 10, 746 A.2d 358, 361 (quotation marks omitted).

. Other than checking the boxes marked ''General” and "Transitional,” the divorce court made no findings regarding the nature of Corcoran's spousal support obligation.

. Although it is the intent of the divorce court that is controlling, the parties' intent is relevant in determining the court’s intent. Greenwood, 2000 ME 37, ¶ 9 n. 4, 746 A.2d at 361.

. Although Corcoran relies on 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(5) (2010) for the proposition that a court must consider a party’s ability to pay, this section governs the parties’ initial award of spousal support, not motions regarding its enforcement.