Grucci v. Villanti

• Decision Date: 10 July 2013
• Parties: In the Matter of Michael J. GRUCCI, appellant, v. Christine M. VILLANTI, respondent.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

108 A.D.3d 626

969 N.Y.S.2d 493

2013 N.Y. Slip Op. 05209

In the Matter of Michael J. GRUCCI, appellant,

v.Christine M. VILLANTI, respondent.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.

July 10, 2013.

Arthur V. Graseck, Jr., Oakdale, N.Y., for appellant.

Christine M. Villanti, South Huntington, N.Y., respondent pro se.

RUTH C. BALKIN, J.P., JOHN M. LEVENTHAL, PLUMMER E. LOTT, and SANDRA L. SGROI, JJ.

In a proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 4, the father appeals from an order of the Family Court, Suffolk County (Hoffmann, J.), dated October 12, 2011, which denied his objections to two orders of the same court (Fields, S.M.), both dated August 24, 2011, which, after a hearing, denied his petition for a downward modification of an order of child support dated December 13, 2006, determined that he willfully violated the order of child support, and, in effect, denied his motion to recuse the Support Magistrate from the hearing.

ORDERED that the order dated October 12, 2011, is affirmed, with costs.

The Family Court properly denied the father's objections to the Support Magistrate's orders. The father, as the party seeking modification of a support order entered on consent, had the burden of showing that there had been a substantial change in circumstances ( see Matter of Anderson v. Anderson, 92 A.D.3d 779, 938 N.Y.S.2d 351;Matter of Ceballos v. Castillo, 85 A.D.3d 1161, 926 N.Y.S.2d 142). The father failed to prove a change of circumstances warranting modification of his support obligation, and the Family Court properly denied his modification petition.

The father claimed that he should no longer be required to pay support because the mother had alienated the child from him. Under the doctrine of constructive emancipation, a child of employable age who actively abandons the noncustodial parent by refusing all contact and visitation may forfeit any entitlement to support ( see Schulman v. Schulman, 101 A.D.3d 1098, 956 N.Y.S.2d 577;Matter of Gold v. Fisher, 59 A.D.3d 443, 873 N.Y.S.2d 139). However, a child's reluctance to see a parent is not abandonment ( see Schulman v. Schulman, 101 A.D.3d at 1098, 956 N.Y.S.2d 577;Matter of Glen L.S. v. Deborah A.S., 89 A.D.3d 856, 932 N.Y.S.2d 177;Matter of Turnow v. Stabile, 84 A.D.3d 1385, 924 N.Y.S.2d 292;Kordes v. Kordes, 70 A.D.3d 782, 893 N.Y.S.2d 633). There is no evidence in the record that the child has refused all contactand visitation with the father. The Support Magistrate did not err in excluding testimony regarding events that occurred before the December 13, 2006, order of support. Those events could not show a change in circumstances after the entry of the support order.

The mother established that the father had willfully violated the order of support. Proof that a respondent in a Family Court Act article 4 proceeding has failed to pay child support as ordered is sufficient to establish a prima facie case of willful violation, shifting to the respondent the burden of going forward ( see Matter of Powers v. Powers, 86 N.Y.2d 63, 68–69, 629 N.Y.S.2d 984, 653 N.E.2d 1154;Matter of Kaplan v. Kaplan, 102 A.D.3d 873, 957 N.Y.S.2d 903;Matter of Marra v. Hernandez, 102 A.D.3d 699, 956 N.Y.S.2d 908). Here, the father acknowledged that he had not paid his share of the child's college tuition, as required by the order of support. The father failed to rebut the presumption of his ability to pay college expenses as ordered ( seeFamily Ct. Act § 437). The fact that the child had taken out student loans, and the father's belief that the mother would use funds earmarked for tuition for other purposes, were irrelevant for the purpose of determining whether the father had...