CAN A TRIAL COURT CHANGE ITS ORDER FOR CHILD SUPPORT FOR A PAST DUE AMOUNT?

Can a trial court modify a previous support order for a past due amount?

(In re Marriage of Blagg, 13 Kan. App 2d 530)

This case explored whether a trial court has the authority to modify a prior support order by increasing the amounts past due. The court concluded that although the trial court has the authority to modify the support order, it does not have the authority to increase or decrease amounts past due.

Steven Blagg (appellant) was married to Colleen Blagg. Upon receiving the divorce decree, Colleen filed a motion to increase child support and to require Steven to provide health insurance for their child. The trial court ordered Steven to pay half of his child’s accumulated medical expenses, which totaled $1,750. The district court also ordered Colleen to reimburse Steven for the additional income tax he was required to pay on several tax returns. Colleen did not allow Steven to claim their child as a dependent on his tax documents, even though the court ordered her to do so. Steven appealed the ruling.

Steven argued that ordering him to pay half of the medical expenses incurred since the divorce amounted to the trial court retroactively changing his original support order. The trial court, however, found that the medical expenses were “extraordinary” and that child support had nothing to do with them. Generally, the parent who was ordered to pay child support, Steven in this case, is not responsible for extraordinary medical expenses. This court stated that the trial court should have considered the child's medical insurance and health care in its original support order. The ruling was reversed.

In sum, a trial court can modify a support order but cannot change the amounts past due. If you need help with a child support or custody issue, call our office for a consultation.