Court Opinion

ID: 9706021
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:29:49.132709+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:18.465508
License: Public Domain

*541JOHNSON, Judge,
dissenting.
The majority refuses to consider the applicability of the 1988 amendments to the Divorce Code, citing as the reason for not reaching their applicability the fact that “neither party raised the issue on appeal” and the assertion that “this case is an inappropriate vehicle for deciding such an important issue.” I must dissent.
This court entered an order on May 11, 1989 which listed this case for reargument before an en banc court. The sole issue which would have warranted the attention of the en banc court was whether section 401.1 of the Divorce Code, 23 P.S. § 401.1 (as amended by the Act of February 12, 1988, P.L. 66, No. 13, § 2) (Act No. 13) should be retroactively applied to the agreement at issue here. Since the majority cites no authority for its present belief that this is an inappropriate vehicle for considering the retroactive effect of § 401.1, I find myself unable to join their position.
Since the filing of the notice of appeal in this case on March 17, 1988, opinions have been filed in this court which cast doubt upon the interpretation and applicability of newly enacted § 401.1. See, Knorr v. Knorr, 380 Pa.Super. 11, 550 A.2d 1338 (1988); Sonder v. Sander, 378 Pa.Super. 474, 549 A.2d 155 (1988); Dechter v. Kaskey, 379 Pa.Super. 45, 549 A.2d 588 (1988); Hutchinson v. Hutchinson, 379 Pa.Super, 247, 549 A.2d 999 (1988); Dolan v. Dolan, 378 Pa.Super. 321, 548 A.2d 632 (1988). Given the divergence in interpretation of whether the new section applies retroactively, the acceptance by the full court of the panel’s recommendation to grant en banc review in this case continues to be sound.
In their supplemental briefs, both parties to this appeal addressed on the merits the applicability of § 401.1 to the present controversy. The issue is properly before this court for review. Merriam v. Cedarbrook Realty, Inc., 266 Pa.Super. 252, 260, n. 8, 404 A.2d 398, 402, n. 8 (1978). There is some reason to believe that the legislative passage of newly enacted § 401.1 resulted from a mutual desire by significant, responsible segments of the family practice bar *542and by legislators to remove some of the confusion and uncertainty which had arisen in the area of marital agreements and their modifiability. I believe that a strong public interest in securing clarity and predictability in this area further confirms the wisdom initially shown by our court in granting en banc review and overshadows any doubts concerning issue preservation or preclusion. Cf., Reilly by Reilly v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation, 507 Pa. 204, 224, 489 A.2d 1291, 1301 (1985); Murphy v. Bradley, 113 Pa.Cmwlth. 387, 391-392, 537 A.2d 917, 919 (1988).
I therefore must dissent from the majority’s refusal to consider the applicability and retroactivity of 23 P.S. § 401.1.
The substantive issue on this appeal is whether an agreement relating to child support and custody is subject to modification upon a showing of changed circumstances. For me, the answer is found in § 401.1 of the Divorce Code, which provides:
Section 401.1 Effect of agreement between parties
(a) A party to an agreement regarding matters within the jurisdiction of the court under this act, whether or not the agreement has been merged or incorporated into the decree, may utilize a remedy or sanction set forth in this act to enforce the agreement to the same extent as though the agreement had been an order of the court except as provided to the contrary in the agreement.
(b) A provision of an agreement regarding child support, visitation or custody shall be subject to modification by the court upon a showing of changed circumstances. (Emphasis added].
The majority revisits the question of whether incorporation of the settlement agreement into a divorce decree results in the agreement losing its independent effect, concludes on the basis of the parties’ intent that in this case it does not, and finds the agreement “not subject to unilateral modification as a court order.” At 299. Judge Brosky, in dissent, raises troublesome questions regarding our past attempts at resolving these issues and concludes that this *543matter should be returned to the trial court for allowance of parole evidence on the issue of modifiability. One need only review the careful analysis of prior case law undertaken by the most distinguished trial judge, the Honorable Eugene Strassburger, to appreciate the timeliness and need for Act No. 13.
The legislature has answered the question which has given this court so much trouble and caused so much consternation within the family practice bar. Act No. 13 renders further judicial analysis of prior court decisions in this area inappropriate and unnecessary. The learned trial judge could not have been aware of Act No. 13 when he rendered his decision, since it was adopted on the very day that the defendant/appellant’s exceptions were dismissed. I have no difficulty in finding Act No. 13 applicable to this appeal. Since, under § 401.1(b), provisions regarding child support and custody are modifiable upon a showing of changed circumstances, I would vacate the order of the trial court and remand this matter for further proceedings consistent with Section 401.1(b) of the Divorce Code.
MONTEMURO, J., joins in this dissenting opinion.