Court Opinion

ID: 9571585
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:32:57.955597+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:30:39.782097
License: Public Domain

STERNBERG, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I agree with the disposition of the cross-appeal, but I respectfully dissent from the majority’s conclusion that the change of circumstances involved here rendered the existing maintenance provision unconscionable.
When considering a motion to modify terms of a dissolution decree, § 14-10-122(1), C.R.S.1973, applies. One who seeks to modify the terms of a decree has a “heavy burden.” In Re Marriage of Erickson, 43 Colo.App. 319, 602 P.2d 909 (Colo.App.1979). Under the statute an existing order may be modified “only upon a showing of changed circumstances so substantial and continuing as to make the terms unconscionable.” 1 As stated in In *429Re Marriage of Anderson, 638 P.2d 826 (Colo.App.1981):
“The issue is not whether, based on the current financial circumstances of the parties the court would have awarded the same amount ... as that incorporated in the original decree. Instead, the question on a motion to modify is different: Have the terms of the original award become unfair, i.e., unconscionable.”
Applying these principles to the maintenance award in this case, I note that there have been changes in the circumstances of the parties which might have led to entry of a different maintenance award had those economic circumstances existed at the time of the dissolution. However, such considerations are not controlling when determining a motion to modify. Anderson, supra. In my opinion, the change of circumstances involved here, i.e., the wife earning approximately $800 a month, balanced somewhat by the husband’s increased earnings, are not of such significance as to render the maintenance award unconscionable. Particularly is this so because the possibility of the wife obtaining employment was not beyond the consideration of the parties when the original settlement agreement was made: It was noted on her affidavit that she would seek employment as a nurse at the rate of $14,500 per year.
Finally, it is difficult to accept the fact that a mere reduction of a maintenance payment from $2,420 per month to $2,120 per month can render conscionable that which previously was unconscionable. If unconscionability can be cured by a reduction of something just over 10% of an award of this size, in reality what the court is doing is making the determination that were the case before it now to determine the amount of maintenance to be awarded, the lower figure would have been used.
A motion to modify must be considered under a different standard than is used to weigh an original award. To do otherwise would be to negate the meaning of § 14-10-122, C.R.S.1973, and would result in encouraging the filing of motions to modify each time there is any change in the economic circumstances of either party. In Re Marriage of Anderson, supra. A motion under § 14-10-122, C.R.S.1973, should not be used to “fine-tune” an award of maintenance. In my view, in order to justify a finding of unconscionability, the economic change involved must be of greater moment than that involved here.
I would reverse this part of the judgment.

. The case of In Re Marriage of Mamo, 659 P.2d 669 (Colo.1983) arguably adds a facet to testing unconscionability: is "overreaching or fraud, concealment of assets, or sharp dealing” involved. In my view Mamo should be limited to situations where an effort is made to set aside *429an entire agreement or award. Here, we are dealing with modification of only the maintenance portion of an agreement. However, it should be noted that Manzo takes its rule from McMillion v. McMillion, 522 P.2d 125 (Colo.App.1974) (not selected for official publication), a case involving a determination of whether a maintenance provision was unconscionable.