Court Opinion

ID: 9575294
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:12:48.440583+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:48:07.380977
License: Public Domain

Deen, Presiding Judge.
The appellee, Mary Johnson, and Danny Sosebee were divorced in 1975. Sosebee was awarded custody of their child, Danny Sosebee, Jr., but the appellee was not ordered to pay child support under the divorce decree. Subsequently, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) began paying public assistance benefits to Danny and Pam Sosebee on behalf of the child. On July 12, 1984, DHR commenced this action against the appellee to recover the benefits paid since August 1980 and to establish future support payments. At the hearing on the matter on August 21, 1984, before all the evidence was heard, the trial court denied DHR’s petition, on the basis that the appellee had not received sufficient notice under Burns v. Swinney, 252 Ga. 461 (314 SE2d 440) (1984).
The record shows that the appellee received a letter dated May 2, 1984, informing her that the child had been receiving public assistance and requesting her to contact the child support recovery agent to discuss the amounts potentially owed. She contacted the agent and met with him on May 9, 1984, at which time the agent explained her child support obligations. At the hearing, the appellee protested that she had been unaware of her son’s receipt of public assistance benefits until her meeting with the child support recovery agent. She also testified that she had lived in the county the entire time, and that her *611address could have been ascertained by DHR without difficulty. Held:
In Burns v. Swinney, supra at 464, the Supreme Court held that “where parents are divorced and custody is awarded to one parent, where the parent not having custody has not been ordered by any court to pay child support, and where the nonpaying parent’s address is known or can be ascertained, the state . . . must notify the parent of the duty of support and of the application for AFDC payments before such parent becomes obligated to reimburse the state for such payments.” On appeal here, DHR concedes that under Burns v. Swinney, supra, it could not recover for public assistance payments made prior to May 1984, since the appellee had had no notice of such payments, but it contends that the letter of May 2, 1984, or that letter combined with the actual meeting with the appellee on May 9, 1984, satisfied the notice requirement.
We agree with the appellee that the letter of May 2, 1984, without more, did not constitute adequate notice under OCGA § 19-11-10. The letter informed her that she “may be held responsible for repayment to State of Georgia of all public assistance (welfare) paid to or on behalf of the child.” However, the letter further provided that “if a court has ordered you to pay child support. . . you owe a debt to the state for the unpaid amount listed in the court order.” In short, the letter alone did not make it clear that the appellee could be ordered to reimburse the state even though she had not been under court order to pay child support.
Nevertheless, we do conclude that the letter, together with the clarifying and more informational meeting on May 9, 1984, provided adequate notice under OCGA § 19-11-10 and Burns v. Swinney, supra. It was uncontroverted that the agent explained to the appellee during the meeting what her child support obligations were, and what alternatives were available to her. The appellee then chose to have a hearing on the matter rather than enter a consent agreement to pay the arrearage. As of May 9, 1984, the appellee had been given adequate notice and opportunity to be heard, and the trial court erred in holding that, due to insufficient notice, DHR was not entitled to reimbursement for public assistance payments made after that date. Accordingly, we must reverse the order of the trial court and remand the matter for a full hearing and determination pursuant to OCGA § 19-11-10.
The dissent contends that this appeal should be dismissed because DHR failed to file an application for appeal required under OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (2). OCGA § 19-11-5 provides that “[t]he payment of public assistance to or on behalf of a child creates a debt due and owing the state by the parent or parents responsible for the support of the child.” This Code section was the statutory basis for the action commenced by DHR in this case. Accordingly, this type of case is one *612seeking collection of a debt and requiring discretionary appeal procedures only where the judgment is $2,500 or less, pursuant to OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (6).

Judgment reversed with direction.

Banke, C. J., Birdsong, P. J., Sognier and Pope, JJ., concur. McMurray, P. J., Carley and Ben-ham, JJ., concur in the judgment only. Beasley, J., dissents.