Court Opinion

ID: 9715850
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:16:28.154968+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:38.726215
License: Public Domain

CAVANAUGH, Judge,
dissenting:
I would affirm the order of the court below. As the majority has pointed out, we will not reverse the decision of the lower court on a petition to reduce support in the absence of an abuse of discretion. I can find no such abuse. The majority reverses on the grounds that the court below erred in admitting hearsay evidence in connection with the wife’s testimony and that of her expert witness. In dealing with this the court below stated:
*223The defendant contends that the Court erred in admitting certain hearsay testimony of the relatrix and her expert witness. This testimony was presented for the purpose of supporting the relatrix’s petition for an increase in the support order. The Court does not address itself to this contention because this testimony was not considered in connection with the defendant’s petition, and the Court dismissed the relatrix’s petition.
The majority is not satisfied with this, however, and feels that the court was influenced by the hearsay despite its statement to the contrary.
Further, the majority would place the burden of proof on the wrong party in the case of a petition to reduce support. The burden of proving that circumstances have changed is upon the party petitioning the court to reduce a support order, in this case the husband. Bell v. Bell, 228 Pa.Super. 280, 323 A.2d 267 (1974). Yet the majority states “if the husband has voluntarily reduced his business and manipulated his books, the wife may prove it, by competent evidence.” In my opinion, the wife has no duty to prove anything in connection with the husband’s petition to reduce support.