Hiltbrand v. Hiltbrand, Unpublished Decision (7-2-1999)
Hiltbrand v. Hiltbrand, Unpublished Decision (7-2-1999)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION Plaintiff-appellant Cathie I. Hiltbrand (hereinafter "wife") appeals the October 5, 1998 Judgment Entry of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, finding Jacob E. Hiltbrand to be an emancipated child, and ordering wife to pay child support to defendant-appellee Jacob W. Hiltbrand (hereinafter "husband") for the benefit of their minor daughter, Jacquelyn, in the amount of $388/month, retroactive to June 1, 1995.
STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND CASE
Husband and wife were married on October 8, 1967, in Monroe, Michigan. Five children were born as issue of said union: Jessica J. Hiltbrand (DOB 4/6/69); Josieanna L. Hiltbrand (DOB 11/2/74); Jacob E. Hiltbrand (DOB 10/15/76); Jennifer L. Hiltbrand (DOB 10/15/76); and Jacquelyn R. Hiltbrand (DOB 4/22/81). On July 28, 1992, husband and wife entered into a Separation Agreement. This agreement and a Joint Petition for Dissolution were filed with the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas on July 29, 1992. The magistrate conducted a hearing on the matter on September 22, 1992. Via Judgment Entry/Decree of Dissolution filed September 30, 1992, the trial court approved and adopted the magistrate's report and ordered the marriage contract between husband and wife be dissolved. The trial court further found the separation agreement to be fair and equitable, and incorporated it into the decree of dissolution. Pursuant to the separation agreement, wife was named the residential parent and legal custodian of the parties' four minor children. On December 5, 1994, husband filed a motion for modification of the custody order, seeking to be named the residential and custodial parent of the parties' youngest daughter, Jacquelyn. Additionally, husband moved the court for a redetermination of child support relative to Jacob E., who was then residing with husband. The trial court scheduled a hearing on the motion for December 21, 1994. Via Consent Judgment Entry dated December 23, 1994, husband was designated the residential parent and legal custodian of Jacquelyn. The judgment entry also provided: It is further ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that, based upon the parties' agreement, [wife] will not be responsible for paying support for Jacquelyn to [husband] through the end of May 1995, unless [husband] would suffer loss of employment or loss of substantial income from his employment at The Timken Company. * * *
It is further ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the parties shall submit appropriate financial affidavits to the Child Support Enforcement Agency of Tuscarawas County, Ohio at the end of May, 1995 for that agency to make the determination of the child support obligation to be paid for Jacquelyn at that time. The parties acknowledge that Jennifer Hiltbrand, age 18 and a senior at Dover High School, is currently residing with [wife] and is expecting to graduate from high school at the end of May, 1995. Jacob E. Hiltbrand, also 18 years old and a senior at Buckeye Joint Vocational High School, is residing with [husband] and is anticipating graduation at the end of May, 1995. Therefore, review of the support obligation for the remaining minor child, Jacquelyn, would be appropriate at that time. The parties may agree to resolve the issue of ongoing support for Jacquelyn at that time, bypassing the CSEA administrative process, by appropriate Consent Judgment Entry and appropriate submission of the Child Support Worksheet prepared pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section
Subsequently, on November 13, 1995, the Tuscarawas County Child Support Enforcement Agency filed a Motion for Modification, moving the trial court to modify the support obligation to require wife to pay husband $388/month for the benefit of Jacquelyn. CSEA requested the trial court order the modification retroactive to September 15, 1995, as the parties had received notice of the modified amount by letter dated September 7, 1995. The magistrate conducted a hearing relative to the issue of child support on December 21, 1995. The magistrate ordered the parties to file post-hearing briefs on the issue of whether husband's obligation to support Jacob E., who was nineteen years old and still attending high school, remained in effect. Husband filed his brief on December 29, 1995. Wife filed her brief on January 2, 1996. On December 14, 1995, husband filed two alternative motions: a Motion to Vacate the Decree of Dissolution of 09/30/92, and a Motion to Enforce the Decree of Dissolution of 09/30/92 and to Identify the Marital and Separate Property to Which Each Petitioner is Entitled. On January 12, 1996, wife filed a brief in opposition to both motions. The magistrate conducted a hearing on husband's Motion to Vacate the Decree of Dissolution on March 26, 1996. Via Magistrate's Decision dated April 18, 1996, the magistrate found the separation agreement to be fatally flawed. The magistrate recommended the separation agreement be voided, the decree of dissolution be vacated, and the action dismissed without prejudice. The magistrate deferred ruling on the child support issues until the trial court ruled upon his Decision. Wife filed objections to the magistrate's Decision on April 18, 1996, and husband filed counter-objections on April 25, 1996. On September 23, 1996, the trial court conducted an oral hearing on the parties' objections. Via Judgment Entry dated December 9, 1996, the trial court overruled wife's objections and dismissed husband's objections as moot. The trial court approved and adopted the magistrate's Decision in its entirety. The trial court granted husband's December 14, 1996 motion to vacate, which the court construed as a motion for relief from judgment pursuant to Civ. R. 60(B). Additionally, the trial court declared the separation agreement to be null and void, and vacated the decree of dissolution. Wife filed a timely notice of appeal of the December 9, 1996 Judgment Entry to this Court. Via Opinion and Judgment Entry Dated August 25, 1997, this Court reversed, finding the trial court abused its discretion in granting husband relief because he failed to satisfy the elements for relief set forth in In re: Murphy (1983),
I. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND COMMITTED AN ERROR AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IT FOUND THAT JACOB E. HILTBRAND WAS AN EMANCIPATED CHILD.
II. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND COMMITTED AN ERROR AS A MATTER OF LAW WHEN IT ORDERED THE PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MINOR CHILD JACQUELYN HILTBRAND IN THE AMOUNT OF $388.00 PER MONTH RETROACTIVE TO 6/1/95.
Any other facts relevant to our discussion of wife's assignments of error shall be contained therein.
(B) Notwithstanding section
On December 21, 1995, the magistrate conducted a hearing on CSEA's November 13, 1995 Motion for Modification. During the hearing, Attorney James Adlon, wife's attorney, addressed the court relative to husband's support obligation for Jacob E. Attorney Adlon advised the court Jacob E. was nineteen years of age and a student in good standing at Tuscarawas Valley High School. Adlon further stated Jacob E.'s date of admission to the high school was September 21, 1995. The attorney explained Jacob E. was being home tutored because he was involved in an industrial accident in which he broke his back. Attorney David Worth, husband's attorney, explained Jacob E. had not successfully completed his senior year of high school and did not desire to return to school at the beginning of the 1995-1996 academic year. Rather, the young man was employed full-time with no intentions of returning to high school. In September, 1995, Jacob E. was severely injured in a work-related accident, which left him totally disabled. Thereafter, the school was contacted. At that time, Jacob E. moved out of husband's home and returned to wife's home because wife is a nurse. Attorney Worth explained Jacob receives five hours of home instruction per week and receives Workers' Compensation benefits each month. In her Brief to this Court, wife submits the evidence established Jacob E. had not dropped out of school prior to the end of the 1994-1995 academic year, and was on summer vacation when he became employed full-time. Brief of Appellant at 5. Wife notes while he was employed during the summer of 1995, Jacob E. fell from a ladder and severely injured his back. Id. Wife explains, due to this injury, Jacob E. missed a few weeks of school at the beginning of the 1995-1996 academic year, but enrolled on September 21, 1995. Id. at 6. At the request of his physician and with permission from an accredited high school, Jacob E. completed his course work through home schooling and graduated in May, 1996. Id. Wife asserts the fact Jacob E. missed the first few weeks of the 1995-1996 academic year, while he recuperated from his back injury, did not justify the trial court's finding he was emancipated. Wife maintains husband's support obligation for Jacob E. should have been revived when the child suffered the debilitating back injury and returned to wife's home. In Matheny v. Matheny (Oct. 5, 1983), Richland App. No. CA-2152, unreported, this Court found R.C.
December 23, 1994 Consent Judgment Entry at 3, unpaginated.
Because wife expressly consented to being responsible for paying child support for Jacquelyn effective June 1, 1995, we find the trial court neither erred nor abused its discretion in making the support order retroactive to June 1, 1995. Wife's second assignment of error is overruled.
The October 5, 1998 Judgment Entry of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
By: Hoffman, J. Wise, P.J. and Farmer, J. concur
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