Court Opinion

ID: 9861059
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:40:15.544383+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:27:09.546066
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE RATHJE, dissenting: I respectfully dissent regarding the majority’s reversal of the trial court’s award of rehabilitative maintenance. I concur with the majority’s treatment of all other issues. In Solich v. George & Anna Portes Cancer Prevention Center of Chicago, Inc. (1994), 158 Ill. 2d 76, our supreme court wrote: "[T]here is no rule of [statutory] construction which authorizes a court to declare that the legislature did not mean what the plain language of the statute imports. [Citation.] Where an enactment is clear and unambiguous *** a court is not at liberty to depart from the plain language and meaning of the statute by reading into it exceptions, limitations or conditions that the legislature did not express.” Solich, 158 Ill. 2d at 83. The statute reads in relevant part: "[T]he obligation to pay future maintenance is terminated *** if the party receiving maintenance cohabits with another person on a resident, continuing conjugal basis.” (Emphasis added.) 750 ILCS 5/510(c) (West 1992). Initially, I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that section 510(c) applies to this case. Section 510 explicitly states that it deals with "Modification and termination of provisions for maintenance, support, educational expenses, and property distribution.” (Emphasis added.) (750 ILCS 5/510 (West 1992).) Prior to the subject judgment, petitioner had received no maintenance which could have been modified or terminated. Assuming, arguendo, that section 510(c) is applicable to the facts of this case, it is clear that the plain meaning of the statutory language in this section does not bar an award of maintenance to this petitioner. The evidence demonstrates that, during the course of the proceedings, petitioner had stopped cohabiting with David Hughes. Petitioner testified that she had executed a lease for rental of a mobile home in Bullhead City, Arizona, which was 25 miles away from Hughes’ residence. She further testified that she had prepaid utilities for her new residence and completed her move during the trial. This evidence supported the trial court’s conclusion that, after May 15, 1994, petitioner was no longer cohabiting with Hughes. The statute says nothing about past cohabitation; it only speaks to continuing cohabitation, which is not at issue here. Thus, it cannot be read as barring rehabilitative maintenance where, as here, the subject cohabitation had ended. Based upon this record, the trial court clearly did not abuse its discretion in awarding rehabilitative maintenance to petitioner. Moreover, I do not find the majority’s reliance on In re Marriage of Klein (1992), 231 Ill. App. 901, at all persuasive. Initially, I note that Klein is factually distinguishable from the appeal at bar. In Klein, the petitioner was clearly cohabiting throughout the proceedings and did not indicate any intention of ending that relationship. The Klein petitioner was obviously not entitled to maintenance. Additionally, I do not agree with the reasoning the Klein court employs in finding that maintenance can be denied to a party who cohabits before maintenance is awarded. The majority cites the following passage from Klein: "There should be no distinction between whether petitioner’s obligation is terminated before it ripens or after maintenance is ordered. If a party died before maintenance was awarded, or if a party remarried before the award, there would be no reason for awarding maintenance only to then require it to be terminated pursuant to section 510(c). Similarly, if a party who seeks maintenance cohabits before maintenance is awarded, the award should be denied pursuant to section 510(c). [Citation.]” (Emphasis added.) (Klein, 231 Ill. App. 3d at 905.) To justify its erroneous conclusion that there should be no distinction between whether a party’s obligation is terminated before it ripens or after maintenance is ordered, the Klein court attempts to analogize cohabitation to death and remarriage. To state the obvious, death is a permanent condition, and, hopefully, so is remarriage. Conversely, cohabitation is, in the vast majority of cases, a temporary circumstance. Thus, the analogy does not work. As the case at bar demonstrated, cohabitation can indeed end prior to the award of maintenance. Further, the Klein court stated: "Although case law cited by petitioner addresses termination of maintenance when the recipient is found to be cohabiting, cohabiting should not be ignored in determining the propriety of an original maintenance award. To espouse such a view ignores the potential for unnecessary, continuing strains between the parties whose marriage has ended. Although respondent’s counsel conceded respondent was cohabiting, if this action disqualifies her for maintenance only if she continues cohabiting, petitioner would be forced to continue to monitor respondent’s activities to learn if this status changed. Such contacts between the parties should not be encouraged.” (Emphasis added.) Klein, 231 Ill. App. 3d at 905. In response to this passage, I would first note that divorce cases routinely involve follow-up monitoring. More importantly, the demonstrated need of a party, such as the instant petitioner, for rehabilitative maintenance should certainly take precedence over the burden of monitoring, if any, placed upon the other party. I would affirm the trial court’s award of rehabilitative maintenance.