Court Opinion

ID: 9572934
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:45:57.491466+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:34:45.229212
License: Public Domain

DYKMAN, J.
0dissenting).
¶ 53 Dr. Chen is a millionaire.1 Dr. Warner is a millionaire.2 They were divorced in 1999, and share equally in the placement of their three children, each parent having physical placement of the children during alternating weeks. Until this post-divorce proceeding, neither party paid the other maintenance or child support, and each paid for the children's care when they were with them. Dr. *466Warner has remarried. The record does not include the income of Dr. Warner's wife. Dr. Chen lives with a significant other, whose income for 2001 was $8,049.
¶ 54. In May of 2000, Dr. Chen retired, at age forty-three. She testified that she did so to stay home with her children. Had she not retired, her 2002 gross income would have been $405,491. She testified that because her securities had decreased in value, she needed more income. She estimated her household budget at $5,000 per month, and wanted Dr. Warner to pay $4,000 of that. Dr. Warner did not submit a budget showing the cost of supporting the children for the half-year they were with him. The trial court granted Dr. Chen's motion and ordered Dr. Warner to pay child support of $4,000 per month.
¶ 55. The majority affirms this result, deferring not to the trial court's determination that Dr. Chen's decision to retire was reasonable, but instead concluding that a reasonable judge could conclude that Dr. Chen's decision not to seek part-time work was reasonable. I question the reasonableness of a decision to retire at age forty-three and depend upon income from securities. Those securities were valued at a time when even poorly informed persons knew that the stock market had reached an all-time high. There is no evidence of the type of securities Dr. Chen held when the stock market declined. But, given Dr. Chen's testimony that she sought the advice of a financial consultant before retiring, I do not take issue with the majority's conclusion that we need not examine Dr. Chen's initial decision to retire. But I disagree with the majority's decision of what to review and the standard of review it uses to review later action (or inaction) of Dr. Chen.
*467¶ 56. To begin with, this opinion will be published, and therefore become precedent for future reduction of income cases which will almost never involve parents with the net worth, income and income potential of Dr. Chen and Dr. Warner. Though the majority disclaims that use, the reason for publication belies that disclaimer. See Wis. Stat. § 751.42(2) (2001-02) (Stating that officially published opinions of the court of appeals shall have statewide precedential effect.). The use of a "shirking" analysis here really does not matter because both parties could support their children without the other, using their income or their assets. But applying the holding here to cases involving persons of more modest means raises questions of public and social policy that need more analysis than the majority gives.
¶ 57. The result of a case is often driven by the standard of review used. The majority uses a deferential standard, concluding that a reasonable trial judge could reach the result found here. Assuming that the "reasonableness" of Dr. Chen's decisions is the test, "reasonableness" is a question of law. A.Y. v. Ronnie J., 2004 WI App 58, 271 Wis. 2d 242, 677 N.W.2d 684. I recognize the "intertwining" exception to this conclusion, but here there is no intertwining. Instead, what we are really deciding, based on our own knowledge and beliefs, is that children raised by stay-at-home parents become better children, students, citizens and adults. We are deciding that the more money spent on children, the greater benefit to the children, and that the more activities children engage in, the better the child and ultimately the better the adult. We are deciding that a divorced parent can make a unilateral decision to retire that would be a joint decision in most marriages. While I intuitively agree with some of this, if judges are going to make those policy decisions without evidence, I *468question whether the answer to those decisions should depend upon which circuit judge is making the decision.3 So, were I writing for a majority, I would not use a deferential standard of review, but review cases of this sort de novo.4
¶ 58. I would also review Dr. Chen's decision differently. The majority focuses on Dr. Chen's decision not to actively seek part-time work. That is not my analysis. Though I do not take issue with her decision to retire in 2000, the question for me is whether her decision not to return to full-time work is reasonable. Dr. Chen worked full time until shortly after she divorced. We do not know how either Dr. Warner's wife or Dr. Chen's significant other interact with the children, or what parenting benefits they can or will provide for them. We do not know whether Dr. Chen would obtain full-time work if she sought it.
¶ 59. Nor do I discount Dr. Warner's "race to resign" concern. I do not share the majority's disbelief that this will occur. Of course there are benefits and detriments to any career decision. I believe, however, that some persons who find working outside the home stressful and unrewarding will be willing to trade that lifestyle for what they perceive as a more leisurely lifestyle. Their willingness may be enhanced if they can *469make a unilateral decision and place the economic burden on another. While the majority disclaims any universality to its holding, the message is that if the income or assets of an ex-spouse are sufficient, retirement at an early age accompanied by evidence of child rearing activities will achieve the expected result. If the non-retiring spouse is wealthy enough to fund the retiring spouse's decision, the desire of the non-retiring spouse not to pay what can be hidden maintenance is not considered.
¶ 60. Ultimately, I conclude that the majority's "shirking" analysis is unsuited for a case such as this one.5 A better one would be this: The decision to retire at an early age while obligated for child support is disfavored. Nonetheless, courts should accept that decision as long as the retiring parent has sufficient assets or income to meet the expected support obligation. The retiring parent will be required to use income and to liquidate his or her assets before requiring the non-retiring spouse to support the retiring spouse's unilateral decision to retire.
¶ 61. I agree with the majority that "shirking" is an unfortunate term, better suited for cases where a support payer is unemployed or has changed jobs. Yet, the majority has shoehorned this case into a "shirking" analysis. The result is an inquiry into the reasonableness of Dr. Chen's actions without considering Dr. Warner's desire not to be bound by Dr. Chen's unilateral decision, and not to pay for Dr. Chen's retirement. Of course, both Dr. Chen and Dr. Warner are ultimately *470responsible for their children's support. That overrides either of their economic interests.
¶ 62. Were I writing for a majority, I would remand to permit the trial court to inquire further into Dr. Chen's income and to consider her $1,691,000 estate. The trial court, using the test I have suggested, would consider the nature of Dr. Chen's assets, and when they would probably be exhausted. If Dr. Chen is capable of supporting her decision to retire, the trial court should require her to do so. If and when she is not, Dr. Warner should be prepared to assume his children's economic needs. Because the majority does not reach this conclusion, I respectfully dissent.

 At the time of her divorce, Dr. Chen's November 1999 financial disclosure statement showed a net worth of $1,712,408. Her April 2002 financial disclosure statement showed a net worth of $1,691,000, a loss of $21,408 since 1999. There was no testimony as to the effect on value caused by some of the assets being held in pre-tax accounts.

 At the time of his divorce, Dr. Warner's November 1999 financial statement showed his net worth as $1,712,408, the same as Dr. Chen's. His March 2002 financial disclosure statement shows that he owns an automobile valued at $23,225, checking and savings accounts valued at $132,444 and real estate with equity of $408,200. Originally appended to his 2002 financial disclosure statement were attachments A through D, which listed the value of his tangible personal property, securities and two retirement accounts. The attachments are no longer appended to the financial disclosure statement. I conclude, however, that with a net worth of $1,712,408 in 1999 and income which increased from $230,000 in 1999 to $545,000 in 2002, Dr. Warner's 2002 net worth exceeds a million dollars. There was no testimony as to the effect on value caused by assets held in pre-tax accounts.

 Faced with arguably similar facts, a trial court judge in Missouri imputed income to an unemployed custodial parent who had left lucrative employment as a physician, giving as a primary reason her desire to be home with her children. The Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed. Stanton v. Abbey, 874 S.W.2d 493, 500 (Mo. Ct. App. 1994).

 I do not suggest a de-novo standard if voluntariness is a part of a "shirking" analysis. Whether an action is voluntary in cases of this sort involves credibility and choosing between disputed facts. A deferential review acknowledges these factors.

 The supreme court concluded that a "shirking" analysis was inapplicable to a request for support modification where the requester was incarcerated resulting from a criminal conviction. See Rottscheit v. Dumler, 2003 WI 62, 262 Wis. 2d 292, 664 N.W.2d 525.