Court Opinion

ID: 9683499
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:29:57.454633+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:48.275400
License: Public Domain

Carter, J.,
dissenting.
I agree with the majority opinion that an increased award' of child support is justified for necessaries. I do not" agree that an additional award, for luxuries should be imposed on the defendant in the absence of a showing that the defendant has assets, including income, which would justify such an award.
The children of these parties could attend public *454school without a charge for tuition. The sending of the children to an expensive private school is in the nature of a luxury. When the cost of a private school education materially increases, as here, the additional cost ought not to be included in a child support order in the absence of any evidence of defendant’s ability to pay. The defendant was not present at the hearing. The evidence of defendant’s ability to pay could easily have been obtained by the discovery process. No attempt was made to establish it.
The proper disposition of the case is pointed out in Morris v. Morris, 137 Neb. 660, 290 N. W. 720, wherein it is said: “The difficulty confronts us in this case, however, that the record contains no evidence as to the extent of plaintiff’s earnings. This information seemingly was not readily available to defendant, possibly because plaintiff was not present personally at the hearing. The trial court might have required it to have been disclosed by plaintiff’s counsel. Perhaps defendant did not exercise the necessary diligence to obtain it. Without, it, however, we are not able to say whether the modification made by the trial court was fair or proper.
“In the ordinary judicial proceeding we would be justified, perhaps, in reversing the decree and dismissing the application, but we will not blind ourselves to the possible injustice which may result in the present situation, and will remand the cause to allow evidence to be received on the extent of plaintiff’s earnings, and leave the way open for a decree to be entered based upon such evidence and the equities which shall then appear to exist.”
For the foregoing reasons I would reverse the judgment and remand the cause for the taking of evidence on defendant’s ability to pay the increased cost of the private school tuition.
Brower, J., joins in this dissent.