Court Opinion

ID: 9587432
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:22:03.289683+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:41:58.815788
License: Public Domain

Per curiam.
The single issue presented on appeal is whether or not the appellant-father waived his statutory right to seek revision of the periodic child support payments established in his final decree of divorce. Relying upon Kitfield v. Kitfield, 237 Ga. 184 (227 SE2d 9) (1976), the appellee-mother insists that the trial court correctly held that the words "and the same shall not be subject to *35modification” appearing in their settlement agreement incorporated into their divorce decree waived the father’s right under Code Ann. § 30-220 to seek a reduction in his child support payments.
Submitted February 24, 1978
Decided March 8, 1978.
Saliba & Newsom, George M. Saliba, for appellant.
Walker, Yancey & Gupton, Reuben H. Yancey, for appellee.
Kitfield and similar cases were concerned alone with the issue of whether or not there had been a waiver of the statutory right to a revision of periodic alimony payments for the wife. The present case is concerned alone with periodic child support payments.
Because the statutory right to seek revision of periodic child support payments belongs to the minor child and not to the mother, this court has held that the mother cannot waive, and the parents cannot bargain away, the child’s right to seek increases in child support payments. Livsey v. Livsey, 229 Ga. 368 (191 SE2d 859) (1972); Johnson v. Johnson, 233 Ga. 664 (212 SE2d 835) (1975); Foreman v. Foreman, 234 Ga. 646, 647 (217 SE2d 257) (1975). Neither may the wife waive nor the parents bargain away the right of the child to seek periodic child support payments although the original decree provides none if the father has not relinquished all parental rights. Lanning v. Mignon, 233 Ga. 665 (212 SE2d 834) (1975); Quarles v. Quarles, 237 Ga. 703 (229 SE2d 452) (1976).
The corollary principle is that the former husband may waive his right to seek a reduction of periodic child support payments. Steffner v. Steffner, 228 Ga. 189 (184 SE2d 575) (1971). The case of Mitchell v. Mitchell, 235 Ga. 101 (218 SE2d 747) (1975), is not to the contrary.

Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concur, except Nichols, C. J., Hall and Bowles, JJ., who dissent.