Court Opinion

ID: 9716249
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:32:10.565747+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:59:05.467059
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE COOK, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. I disagree that the trial court erred in awarding child support, and I would affirm. I also disagree that attorney fees may not be awarded after an appeal is resolved and that by failing to seek prospective attorney fees Kim has waived any right to seek attorney fees. In Talty, the appellee sought prospective attorney fees from the appellant. Talty, 166 Ill. 2d at 235, 652 N.E.2d at 332. The appellant argued that the correct procedure in awarding appellate fees was for the circuit court to make the award after the appeal had been resolved, citing In re Marriage of Divarco, 167 Ill. App. 3d 1014, 1022, 522 N.E.2d 619, 624 (1988), rev’d in part on other grounds, sub nom. Divarco v. Gilleran, 122 Ill. 2d 572, 528 N.E.2d 986 (1988). Talty, 166 Ill. 2d at 241-42, 652 N.E.2d at 335. The supreme court held that prospective fees were possible under a recent amendment authorizing the circuit court to enter an award “for ‘the purpose of enabling a party lacking sufficient financial resources to obtain or retain legal representation, expected to be incurred.’ ” Talty, 166 Ill. 2d at 242, 652 N.E.2d at 335, quoting Pub. Act 85 — 357, § 1, eff. January 1, 1988 (1987 Ill. Laws 1957, 1958). That statutory authorization of prospective fees was intended to expand the power of the court, however, not to eliminate the court’s existing power to award fees after an appeal has been resolved. In some cases, a litigant not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of prospective fees might still be entitled to traditional fees after appeal. Prospective fees require speculation; it is only after the appeal has been concluded that fees can be determined with some degree of certainty. A petition for attorney fees pertaining to an appeal can be brought after the.appeal, in the trial court. Stockton, 169 Ill. App. 3d at 328-29, 523 N.E.2d at 580-81; Emery, 179 Ill. App. 3d at 752, 534 N.E.2d at 1019. I would also note that the language quoted in Talty is no longer present in section 508, which was extensively revised in 1997. See D. Hopkins, “Leveling the Playing Field” in Divorce: Questions and Answers About the New Law, 85 Ill. B.J. 410 (1997). We should address the new language. Why should a soldier who lives off base and receives a quarters allowance be considered to have more “net income” for purposes of child support under section 505 than a soldier who lives on base and has quarters furnished to him directly? McGowan recognized that “if the allowance granted is predicated upon the cost of living at the soldier’s station, the court can consider whether he or she requires the entire amount to satisfy housing or other needs.” McGowan, 265 Ill. App. 3d at 978, 638 N.E.2d at 697. That seems to be the case here. I have previously disagreed with the proposition that section 505 provides a clear and certain definition of “net income” which the trial court may uncritically apply to the case before it. Gay, 279 Ill. App. 3d at 150-52, 664 N.E.2d at 95-96 (Cook, EJ., dissenting). Looking to facts of Gay, was it really the intention of the legislature that a noncustodian might be able to deduct the lease payments for his Mercedes from his “net income,” while a soldier must be required to include his quarters allowance in “net income”? More broadly, despite the existence of the child support guidelines, the setting of child support is a judicial function. Slagel v. Wessels, 314 Ill. App. 3d 330, 332-33, 732 N.E.2d 720, 722 (2000). The trial court is required to exercise its best judgment in setting child support, whether the amount set is higher or lower than the guidelines. In the present case the trial court was aware of the quarters allowance. The trial court chose to set child support at an amount “slightly” higher than the guidelines amount, $350 per month. (The trial court found Kim’s “net income” to be $20,000 per year, which would produce a child support award of $333 per month.) Whether the quarters allowance was considered to be included in “net income” or not, the trial court concluded that the proper amount of child support was $350 per month. We should respect that decision. The majority mentions that if a court deviates from the guidelines it must explicitly state the reasons why it has chosen to do so. However, Grant has waived that argument by not raising the issue in the trial court. In re Marriage of Minear, 181 Ill. 2d 552, 565, 693 N.E.2d 379, 385 (1998). In any event, it is not necessary that the trial court follow any particular ritual in announcing child support, and the trial court’s announcement here was sufficient. See Minear, 181 Ill. 2d at 565-66, 693 N.E.2d at 385.