CHILD SUPPORT ARREARS PROPERLY AWARDED TO MOTHER, BUT THE AMOUNT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALCULATED THROUGH THE HEARING DATE (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department noted that, although child support arrears were properly awarded to petitioner (mother), the amount of the arrears should have been calculated through the date of the hearing:
By submitting evidence that respondent [father] was delinquent in his support payments … , petitioner established prima facie that respondent willfully violated his child support obligations. Respondent failed to rebut this prima facie showing by presenting evidence of his inability to pay … . He testified to a loss of income but failed to provide evidence of either his lost employment or his efforts to find new employment … . Further, contrary to respondent’s contention, whether respondent eventually satisfied his arrears has no bearing on the court’s finding of willfulness … , particularly in light of his previous violations of his support obligations. …
Petitioner correctly argues that child support arrears accrued through the date of the hearing on remand, and should be included in the award of arrears, as required by Family Court Act § 459 and in the children’s best interests . Therefore, we remand for recalculation of the amount in arrears … . Matter of Eve S.P. v Steven N.S., 2019 NY Slip Op 08130, First Dept 11-12-19