Court Opinion

ID: 9723546
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:19:34.791582+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:49.592895
License: Public Domain

HANING, J.
I respectfully dissent. The trial court has broad discretion in setting spousal support. (In re Marriage of Morrison (1978) 20 Cal.3d 437, 454 [143 Cal.Rptr. 139, 573 P.2d 41]; In re Marriage of Slater (1979) 100 Cal.App.3d 241, 249 [160 Cal.Rptr. 686]; Civ. Code, §4801.) Thus, in reviewing a spousal support order pursuant to a claim of error, our standard is whether the trial court abused its discretion. In Morrison, our Supreme Court held that trial courts should not terminate jurisdiction over spousal support following dissolution of a lengthy marriage “unless the record clearly indicates that the supported spouse will be able to adequately meet his or her financial needs at the time selected for termination of jurisdiction.” (20 Cal.3d at p. 453.) The Supreme Court did not require that jurisdiction always be maintained, but merely announced standards for trial courts in making their determination. (Ibid.) So long as these standards are observed, trial courts are operating within their discretion.
There is some difficulty in reviewing the challenged support order herein due to the manner in which the parties presented the case below, thereby *668confusing the reconciliation process between the evidence, the findings and the resulting order. To begin with, the reporter’s transcript contains numerous references to depositions, both as to deposition testimony and stipulations which were entered into at the time the depositions were taken. The parties and the trial court were obviously familiar with the content of the depositions, and relied thereon. However, they were not made part of the record before us. In addition, certain proceedings transpired in chambers which are unreported, but during which various representations were apparently made, and upon which the trial court relied, without objection and with the apparent concurrence of both parties, in rendering its order.
The trial court found that “substantial changes of circumstances” occurred for both parties. It then found a “significant differential” between the earning ability and financial needs of the parties and that Ms. Prietsch’s needs outweighed her ability to earn through employment or through a reasonable return on investment of her separate property.
The record supports the trial court’s finding concerning a reasonable return on investment of Ms. Prietsch’s separate property. Although she had a substantial sum on deposit, she was saving it to purchase a home for herself and the trial court could have deemed this to be a reasonable allocation of that resource. It is also undisputed that Dr. Calhoun earns substantially more than Ms. Prietsch. However, in construing the court’s finding concerning the change of circumstances and Ms. Prietsch’s earning ability, I interpret the trial court somewhat differently than the majority.
During the hearing below, it was not seriously disputed that Ms. Prietsch was capable of earning a higher salary. However, she refused to work in private industry and, for personal political reasons, also refused to work for any agency or entity which was involved with the “defense” industry. In addition, although her reasons for doing so are undisclosed, it was stressed that she had chosen to relocate her permanent home in a country where she could not speak, read nor write the national language. As a result, she had to undergo a substantial period of acclimation in order to maximize her earning potential. By the time of the hearing at issue she had apparently overcome most of the difficulties she encountered upon her initial move to Sweden. As a consequence, I read the trial court’s reference to her change in circumstances to refer to her substantial adjustment to the Swedish employment market, and its reference to her ability to meet her needs to reflect its concern with her then present earning capacity, rather than a finding that she is unable to earn more in the near future. Given this interpretation, it cannot be said that a stepdown order is entirely inappropriate.
My interpretation of the findings is further bolstered by the fact that Ms. Prietsch did not argue to the trial court that a stepdown was unsupported. *669Rather, she argued solely that it was improper to terminate jurisdiction over support after a marriage of this length. Her argument as to insufficiency of the evidence came after the fact of the order.
Reading the trial court’s comments in context, it appears to me that it understood the law and its obligations. It contrasted the instant case with Morrison, which involved a 54-year-old woman ending a 28-year marriage with a health problem, no work history or job skills, and capable of earning only $100 per month. The trial court in the instant case noted the obvious difference between the supported spouse in Morrison and Ms. Prietsch: “But here we have a very unusual situation where [Ms. Prietsch] has incredible educational capability of supporting herself, capable of supporting herself in Sweden or here. Not capable of supporting herself in Sweden to the same degree of standard of living as the parties enjoyed when they were married. She is probably capable of supporting herself to that degree if she were here in the Bay Area. [$] I cannot conceive of, with her education and her present age and her abilities, why in the course of time,____[s]he couldn’t increase her income, increase her standard of living to a point very close to what she enjoyed as Dr. Calhoun’s wife.” (See, e.g., Civ. Code, § 4801, subd. (a)(6).)
The trial court’s observations are supported by substantial evidence. Ms. Prietsch’s contribution to the support of her parents and her average monthly air fare to the United States to visit them exceeded the amount of support she was then receiving. The fact that her parents were then in their mid-eighties supports a finding that her contribution to their support and her travel expenses will not be required by the time spousal support was ordered to end. She also anticipated purchasing a home in the near future. Given the fact that she had become reasonably fluent in Swedish, thereby increasing her earning ability, and that she would soon be able to purchase a home and move out of her small apartment, the trial court could also find that her income and lifestyle were subject to imminent improvement. I finally note that in spite of her request for a support increase, Ms. Prietsch was able to contribute to the support of another individual described only as a “friend,” to make charitable and political contributions, and to save a portion of her salary.
Finally, and most significantly, Ms. Prietsch’s political commitments have led her to decline employment which is substantially more remunerative. No matter how laudable her beliefs, her former spouse cannot be made to bear the price. She should bear the consequences of her own voluntary actions. If, for example, she deemed it appropriate to simply abandon her employment in order to devote her full time, without pay, to the advancement of a political cause, can she seek an increase in support? By the same token, if she now wishes to leave Sweden and settle in Tokyo, must Dr. Calhoun *670be compelled to increase or extend his support while she becomes fluent in Japanese? If she decides to contribute to the support of additional “friends,” must he also be expected to defray these expenses? I think not, and the trial court can properly consider all these factors in making its order. (Civ. Code §4801.)
Another problem I have with the majority’s disposition is that it fails to consider that the trial court’s order regarding the amount of monthly support is related to its overall scheme. If the trial court cannot terminate support and jurisdiction under its present timetable, it might have exercised its discretion in some other fashion. That discretion does not lie with us, and we should not be establishing timetables or monthly allotments for support. I emphasize that, based on the trial record and the manner in which the case was argued before us, it appears that the parties and the trial court were operating under different assumptions and a different understanding of the facts than the majority’s interpretation. They certainly agreed below that the trial court could rely upon and consider matters which they failed to place in the record. But even as to the evidence which is in the record before us, I conclude it is sufficiently substantial to support the court’s order. If the majority’s understanding is incorrect, Dr. Calhoun should be entitled to commence a new hearing below and lay out all the facts and clarify the findings. Support orders are best determined by the trial courts, rather than appellate tribunals.
I conclude the record is sufficient to establish a complete termination of support if the trial court felt it was appropriate to do so. If support can be terminated, the supported spouse cannot legitimately complain about a step-down. It appears here that the trial court was attempting to ease the transition to self-sufficiency for Ms. Prietsch and, if so, the payoff portion of its order should be upheld. I concur with the majority that if the trial court determines that it should retain jurisdiction for a period of time, it cannot permit the supporting spouse to terminate jurisdiction by paying off the present value. To do so would remove the court’s ability to respond to a change of circumstances within the original time period. However, I do not agree that lump-sum payments are improper per se, under all circumstances.
In conclusion, I would affirm, or at least remand the matter for clarification of findings and reconsideration under Morrison.