Court Opinion

ID: 9707297
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 02:07:54.120681+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:30.623413
License: Public Domain

CIRILLO, Judge,
dissenting.
Because I feel that Francis J. Tucker should not be required to contribute to his son’s education at Syracuse University, I respectfully dissent.
Mr. Tucker and Mary Jo Spitzer were divorced in 1973. Mr. Tucker, pursuant to a support order entered in Chester County, was providing $40.00 per week for the support of his son Will Tucker. On January 31, 1989, Ms. Spitzer filed a petition seeking financial contributions from Mr. Tucker for Will’s college expenses. Three days of hearings were held and a recommended order was entered to which both parties filed exceptions. The trial court found that Mr. Tucker, an attorney, earns approximately $60,000.00 annually, while Ms. Spitzer, who is the beneficiary of a trust fund and who is a certified teacher, was assigned an earning capacity of $40,000.00 per year.1 Following oral argument, the Honorable Thomas J. Gavin ordered, in pertinent part, that Will would be responsible for the first $2,000.00 of his college expenses and that the remaining expense *544would be borne equally by both parties. This timely appeal followed.
On appeal, father argues, among other things, that he should not be required to contribute to the cost of Will’s Syracuse education because Will’s college selection was arbitrary and because Will could receive a comparable education at the Pennsylvania State University (“PSU”) for less than half the cost of Syracuse.2 I agree.
We are once again asked to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion in determining a support award. Although the instant case concerns the support of an adult child, it is instructive to examine the social and moral realities which require court intervention in a divorced family’s relationships. It is well settled that the duty to support a minor child is virtually absolute. Sutliff v. Sutliff, 339 Pa.Super. 523, 537, 489 A.2d 764, 771 (1985), modified on appeal, 515 Pa. 393, 528 A.2d 1318 (1987). While courts and legislatures have only recently concerned themselves with child support obligations, see Krause, Child Support Reassessed: Limits of Private Responsibility and the Public Interest, 6 Fam.L.Q. 1, 6 (1990) (hereinafter Krause), as early as 1765, Blackstone aptly summarized the rationale for such obligations:
The duty of parents to provide for the maintenance of their children, is a principle of natural law____ By beget-
ting them, therefore, they have entered into a voluntary obligation, to endeavour, as far as in them lies, that the life which they have bestowed shall be supported and preserved. And thus the children will have a perfect right of receiving maintenance from their parents.
*5451 W. Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England 447-448 (1765). Maintenance in 1765, however, did not extend far beyond food, clothing and shelter. Traditionally, such economic support was premised upon reciprocity. Krause, at 18. Specifically, support received by the young child morally and legally obligated the adult child to support the aged parent. Id. Prior to the advent of Social Security, child support was an investment the supporting parent made to be recovered in later years. Id.
Instantly, Will has requested his father to contribute to his college education. While a college education is increasingly viewed as a necessity, the obligation to support a college student is a qualified one. Milne v. Milne, 383 Pa.Super. 177, 183, 556 A.2d 854, 858 (1989). The basic test for fashioning an award of support for post-secondary education is well settled:
An award made after majority for contribution to college expenses is made within the discretion of the court. This exercise of discretion is bounded by a judicially promulgated test consisting of two factors: the desire and ability of the child to successfully pursue post-secondary education and the ability of the parent to contribute to that effort without undue hardship.
Id. (citations omitted). The above elements do not exist in a vacuum; when determining an award for college support the trial court is required to weigh and evaluate a number of factors peculiar to each case which are outside the two tier test. Id.; see also Pharoah v. Lapes, 391 Pa.Super. 585, 596, 571 A.2d 1070, 1076 (1990) (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). Numerous cases have considered factors outside the narrow two tier test when fashioning support awards for college expenses. Id.3
*546Here, it is clear that Will has the ability and desire to attend college. Further, although father may wish to persuade us to the contrary, it is apparent from the record that he can afford to contribute to his son’s education at Syracuse without undue hardship. Thus, if we were limited to the constraints of the above two prong test, our inquiry would cease. I, however, refuse to blindly apply this two part analysis. Pharoah, 391 Pa.Super. at 596, 571 A.2d at 1076 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). Consequently, while father is able to provide support for a Syracuse education, the question remains whether the trial court, under the present circumstances, abused its discretion in ordering him to do so. “An abuse of discretion is more than an error of judgment. It must be a misapplication of the law or an unreasonable exercise of judgment.” Marshall v. Ross, 373 Pa.Super. 235, 238, 540 A.2d 954, 956 (1989).
It is undisputed that the amount of any support award depends upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Pharoah, supra. Nonetheless, it is helpful to review two previous cases where the child’s choice of a more expensive college was opposed by the noncustodial parent. In Commonwealth ex rel. Larsen v. Larsen, 211 Pa.Super. 30, 234 A.2d 18 (1967), James Larsen enrolled at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania where his tuition and other expenses totaled approximately $3,600.00 per year. James’ mother sought to have James’ father, Dr. E. Noer Larsen, provide increased support to cover James’ college expense. Dr. Larsen claimed that James could receive an adequate, if not superior education, at PSU for a cost of only of $1,275.00 per year. The trial court agreed with Dr. Larsen and this court affirmed.
*547In what remains a considered insight into this difficult area, the Larsen court stated:
We are reluctant to formulate a rule which would, in all cases, prevent a child from attending the college of his [or her] choice simply because it is more expensive than the state-supported university. On the other hand, we do not believe that the child should have absolute discretion in selecting a college, and thereby unilaterally increasing the father’s [or mother’s] support obligation.
The duty of a parent to provide a college education for a child is not as exacting a requirement as the duty to provide food, clothing and shelter for a child of tender years unable to support himself.... No mathematical rule can be formulated to determine how extensive the hardship upon a father must be before it will excuse him from supporting a child in college. It must be a matter of judgment in a field where the judgments of sincere and advised men differ materially.... To determine whether the order is justified, an important consideration is the estate, the earning capacity and the income of the defendant. This, however, is not the sole criterion. There are other circumstances to be considered.
Id., 211 Pa.Superior Ct. at 34, 234 A.2d at 20 (citations omitted) (quoting Commonwealth ex rel. Ulmer v. Sommerville, 200 Pa.Super. 640, 644-645, 190 A.2d 182, 184 (1963)). The court in Larsen was faced with determining whether the father should be required to fund an expensive private education at Washington and Jefferson, or a less expensive, yet adequate education, at PSU:
Thus, in a case such as this, the court must first ascertain what advantages are offered by the more expensive college in relation to the child’s individual needs, aptitude, ability, and the child’s anticipated vocation. It must then weigh these advantages against the increased hardship that would be imposed on the father to determine whether the additional expense is reasonable under the circumstances. We realize that a judge who sees and hears the *548witnesses in a case such as this is in a better position that this Court to decide this problem and our function on appeal, therefore, is merely to determine whether the lower court is chargeable with an abuse of discretion.
Id. (citations omitted). James’ choice of Washington and Jefferson was a unilateral decision, made without consultation with his father. Id., 211 Pa.Superior Ct. at 35, 234 A.2d at 21. James’ selection was apparently based upon the fact that Washington and Jefferson offered the advantages of smaller classes and closer contact between students and their instructors. Id. Neither the trial court nor this court felt that James’ reasons for choosing Washington and Jefferson justified the increased financial burden to his father who was 67 years old at the time. Id.
In Pharoah, Anthony Lapes decided to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) instead of accepting a full tuition scholarship to Georgia Institute of Technology (“Georgia Tech”). Anthony had discussed attending college with his father, but neglected to tell him that he had been offered a full tuition scholarship at Georgia Tech. Judge Beck, writing for the court, stated that
the record amply supports the trial court’s conclusion that Anthony “deserved” the best education possible based upon his considerable academic accomplishments. The record further established that Anthony’s decision to attend M.I.T. was based upon the reasonable conclusion that it would represent a superior educational experience. This conclusion was reached by assessing the school’s selectivity, its ratings in college handbooks, its course offerings in Anthony’s chosen field of computer science and its national, indeed international reputation.
Id., 391 Pa.Superior Ct. at 592-93, 571 A.2d at 1074. I dissented in Pharoah because the majority’s decision did not assess the totality of the circumstances with the goal of replicating, as nearly as possible, the decision the intact family would have made. Id., 391 Pa.Superior Ct. at 597, 571 A.2d at 1077 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). It is clear, however, that in Pharoah Anthony’s decision to attend MIT was reached after a studied consideration of its curriculum, *549its global reputation and its strong computer science program. Id.
In light of Pharoah and Larsen, it is imperative that we examine the reasons underlying Will’s decision to attend Syracuse and whether there is any evidence of record which would indicate that Syracuse would offer Will a superior education. Initially, it should be noted that Will did involve his father in the college selection process. Will also testified that he was aware that, due to cost, his father preferred that Will attend PSU. Although Mr. Tucker was consulted, his expressed preference that Will attend PSU was ultimately ignored and Will decided to enroll at Syracuse.
At the hearing, Will did not give any reason why he chose Syracuse over PSU. Will’s mother, however, testified that Will simply did not like PSU. Will’s mother also opined that Will might not have wanted to attend PSU because his father had, in effect, “pulled some strings,” to get Will into the main campus. Ms. Spitzer stated that Will was very proud and did not want to attend a college unless he “got himself in the door.”
Will’s mother also testified that Will decided to attend Syracuse after he did not gain admission to Richmond or Dickinson. Ms. Spitzer stated that Will liked Syracuse because his best friend from Conestoga was going to attend Syracuse and because Will was interested in watching Syracuse sporting events. Apparently, the academic curriculum at Syracuse was not a factor in Will’s decision. Essentially, since there was no indication that Syracuse offered Will a superior education, there was no academic reason for Will to attend Syracuse over PSU.
Moreover, if Will’s biological family had remained intact, I do not feel that Will would have had been afforded a Syracuse education. See Horan, Postminority Support for College Education—A Legally Enforceable Obligation in Divorce Proceedings? 20 Fam.L.Q. 589, 607 (1987) (hereinafter Horan). When a family is intact, there is a discussion of the financial ramifications of an adult child’s edu*550cational preference. Milne, 383 Pa.Super. at 187, 556 A.2d at 860; Pharoah, supra (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). More importantly, when it is time for an adult child to attend college, the expressed preference of the payor spouse in an intact family is not casually disregarded.
If an intact family decides, for whatever reason, that they will not bear the burden of sending the adult child to the preferred, albeit more expensive, institution and that child still desires to attend college, he or she is confronted with two alternatives. The child can attend the more costly institution and finance the education on his or her own, or the child can defer to the parents’ decision and enroll in the less expensive college with their financial assistance. What the child of the intact family cannot do is attend the more costly college and subsequently sue his or her parents for the resulting expenses.
Pharoah, 391 Pa.Super. at 599, 571 A.2d at 1077-1078 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). Here, Will and his father did discuss the financial ramifications of attending Syracuse. However, because Will’s parents are divorced, he was able to attend Syracuse, against his father’s wishes, and sue his father for half of the increased expense. This is both painful and ludicrous.
While the courts require divorced parents to provide support that is reasonable under all the circumstances, married parents do not legally owe their children a lifestyle that is consistent with their income and station in life. Krause, at 20. Married parents may rear their children in any reasonable way they see fit. See id. When parents divorce, all too often, the noncustodial parent has little input on important decisions. Pharoah, 391 Pa.Super. at 599, 571 A.2d at 1078 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). As such, the decision-making power is exercised by the custodial parent, who often is not the paying parent. Krause, at p. 20.4
*551I, however, am also aware that what parents would have done willingly had their relationship not deteriorated must, in certain cases, be coerced for the benefit of their children. Chesonis, 372 Pa.Super. at 117, 538 A.2d at 1379 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting). Nonetheless, I have not lost sight of our primary objective which prompted court involvement in a divorced family’s relationship:
to ensure that children of divorced parents are not unjustly deprived of opportunities they would have had if their parents had remained married. Milne, 383 Pa.Super. at 186-187, 556 A.2d at 859. Conversely, our aim has never been to permit the adult children of divorced parents to reap profits that they would not have enjoyed if the family were still intact.
Pharoah, 391 Pa.Super. at 600, 571 A.2d at 1078 (Cirillo, P.J., dissenting).
Here, Will, against his father’s clear wishes, decided to attend Syracuse because his best friend intended to enroll at Syracuse and because he enjoyed watching Syracuse sporting events. These reasons are woefully inadequate to justify the increased support contribution a Syracuse education requires. Unlike the college-bound young adults in Pharoah and Larsen, there was no testimony that Will’s needs would be better served at Syracuse than at PSU. Additionally, there was no indication that Will wanted to take advantage of a specific program that was offered at Syracuse and was not offered at PSU. The court in Larsen, while finding that the trial judge is in far better position to make these difficult determinations, stated that a trial judge “must first ascertain what advantages are offered by the more expensive college in relation to the child’s individual needs, aptitude, ability, and the child’s anticipated vocation.” Larsen, 211 Pa.Super. at 34, 234 *552A.2d at 20 (emphasis added). After such a determination is made, then the trial judge must weigh these advantages against the increased hardship that would be imposed upon the payor to decide if the additional expense is reasonable under the circumstances. Id. Here, other than the presence of Will’s best friend on campus, the record reveals no advantage that is inherent in a Syracuse education and lacking in an PSU education. Consequently, since Syracuse offered no such advantages, the increased expenditure cannot be justified.
There was testimony at the hearing that Will’s father lived a frugal life. Clearly, cost, as Ms. Spitzer admitted, has always been a factor for Mr. Tucker. Moreover, there was no indication that Will harbored any animosity for his father; indeed, Will worked for his father during the summers of 1988 and 1989. These two factors, Mr. Tucker’s frugality and the apparently friendly relationship between father and son, lead me to conclude that Mr. Tucker would not have agreed to fund Will’s Syracuse education if the family had remained intact. On the contrary, from the testimony it appears that Mr. Tucker would have insisted that, for financial reasons, Will attend PSU.
I do not condone or condemn Mr. Tucker’s reluctance to finance a Syracuse education. The evidence revealed that at the date of the hearing a year at Syracuse cost approximately $15,000.00, an education that even the most munificent of parents may decline to fund.
I cannot close without commenting upon the current cost of post-secondary education and its resulting effect on divorced parents. Between 1980 and 1986 the average cost to attend a private university rose by %80.8, the cost to attend a public university rose by % 61.2, yet the median family income rose only % 40.1. New York Times, March 23, 1988 at B8 col. 1. Experts agree that education costs will continue to increase.5 In light of the exorbitant cost of *553attending college, we should not require increased support contributions from divorced, yet financially capable, parents without legitimate reasons to justify the augmented expenditure. See Larsen, supra. Surely, although a college education is arguably a necessity, no one can argue that Will needs a Syracuse education. As such, our task is to make certain that Will receives an education that is reasonable under all the circumstances. A careful review of the instant circumstances make it painfully clear that requiring Mr. Tucker to contribute to the support of a Syracuse education because of the proximity of Will’s best friend and a preference for watching Syracuse athletics is undoubtedly unreasonable.
In sum, because Will offered no academically legitimate reason for attending Syracuse instead of PSU and because Mr. Tucker’s history of frugality convinced me that he would have been opposed to funding a Syracuse education if the family had remained intact, I find that, pursuant to Larsen, the trial court abused its discretion when it ordered Mr. Tucker to contribute to Will’s educational pursuits at Syracuse when Will could have enjoyed a comparable education at PSU for less than half the cost.

. Ms. Spitzer’s current husband is an attorney with gross annual earnings of over $200,000.00.

. Father also contends that the trial court erred by not assigning a greater earning capacity to mother who is a certified teacher, and that the trial court abused its discretion in failing to perform an on-the-record Melzer calculation. See Melzer v. Witsberger, 505 Pa. 462, 480 A.2d 991 (1984). Since it is fairly clear that both mother and father have sufficient funds to contribute to their son’s education, I will limit my discussion to the propriety of the trial court’s decision requiring father to contribute to Will’s education at Syracuse.

. In Milne, this court looked outside the above test and held that an adult child’s willful estrangement from his or her parent excuses that parent from his or her duty to contribute to the child’s educational expenses. Milne, supra. See Bedford v. Bedford, 386 Pa.Super. 349, 563 A.2d 102 (1989) (clarifying estrangement necessary to sever a parent's duty to contribute to the child’s college support); see also Sutliff v. Sutliff, 515 Pa. 393, 528 A.2d 1318 (1987); Melzer v. Witsber*546ger, 505 Pa. 462, 480 A.2d 991 (1984); Chesonis v. Chesonis, 372 Pa.Super. 113, 538 A.2d 1376 (1988); DeWalt v. DeWalt, 365 Pa.Super. 280, 529 A.2d 508 (1987); Francis v. Francis, 358 Pa.Super. 391, 517 A.2d 997 (1986); DeVergilius v. DeVergilius, 329 Pa.Super. 434, 478 A.2d 866 (1984); Commonwealth ex rel. Smith v. Smith, 217 Pa.Super. 1, 268 A.2d 161 (1970); Commonwealth ex rel. O’Hey v. McCurdy, 199 Pa.Super. 115, 184 A.2d 291 (1962).

. Today, fathers increasingly assume an active role in the ongoing family. In stark contrast, the typical custody adjudication in divorce terminates the father’s parental status, at least in any meaningful sense. This de facto termination of parental status comes at the very time we impose on the absent parent a child support obligation *551that typically is far larger than what he might have shouldered, or was legally obligated to provide, in the ongoing family.
Krause, at p. 19 (footnotes omitted). Although Mr. Tucker’s child support payments for Will were arguably reasonable, the above comments become relevant to the instant case in light of the increased college support contribution now required of Mr. Tucker.

. For a child born in 1988, four years at a public university is estimated to cost $120,000.00 in tuition and other expenses. New York Times, Feb. 20, 1988, at 34, col. 1.