Court Opinion

ID: 9590629
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:56:56.005601+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:38:16.030976
License: Public Domain

BENTON, Judge,
concurring.
I join in the opinion except a portion of the section styled Imputation of Income.
The evidence established that the youngest child, who is disabled, attends school and day care all day each weekday. I find nothing in the record that established that the mother has any greater need to visit the youngest child’s school than any other working parent who has children in school. No evidence proved either the frequency of her visits or the length of her visits to the school.
The evidence further established that the mother voluntarily removed the two older children from the public school system to “home school” them herself. I believe that the record proved that the mother’s unavailability to seek employment was based solely upon her voluntary decision to “home school” two of her children. In deciding to remove the two older children from school, she voluntarily chose “the convenience or personal preference ... to remain unproductive ... so as to avoid support obligations.” Hur v. Virginia Dep’t of Social Servs., 13 Va.App. 54, 60, 409 S.E.2d 454, 458 (1991). Thus, I would hold that her decision to “home school” her children was a voluntary decision taken “to the detriment of [her] support obligations to the children.” Brody v. Brody, 16 Va.App. 647, 651, 432 S.E.2d 20, 22 (1993).
I concur in the judgment, however, because I agree with the majority’s additional rationale that the father failed to establish that the mother, who has been unemployed since 1985, could find employment. The statement of facts recites that “[n]either party presented evidence as to employment available to [the mother] given her skills and experience.” Thus, I *698would hold, not that the evidence failed to prove a material change in circumstance, but that the evidence failed to prove the availability of employment and was insufficient to “enable the trial judge reasonably to project what amount [of income] could be anticipated” if employment was available to the mother. Hur, 13 Va.App. at 61, 409 S.E.2d at 459. Accordingly, I would uphold the trial judge’s ruling with respect to imputed income only because, as he found, “there was insufficient evidence of any income that could be imputed to [the mother].”
Except as stated above, I concur in the remainder of the opinion and would affirm the judgment.