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In the Matter of Coleman v. Thomas

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jun 18, 2002
295 A.D.2d 508 (N.Y. App. Div. 2002)

Opinion

2001-02623

Submitted April 2, 2002.

June 18, 2002

In a child support proceeding pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (Family Ct Act article 5-B), the father appeals from an order of the Family Court, Queens County (Hunt, J.), dated February 21, 2001, which denied his objections to an order of the same court (Clark, H.E.), dated October 23, 2000, which, after a hearing, denied his application to terminate his child support obligation.

Keith L. Thomas, Hollis, N.Y., appellant pro se.

Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel, New York, N.Y. (Barry P. Schwartz and Julie Steiner of counsel), for respondent.

Before: DAVID S. RITTER, J.P., MYRIAM J. ALTMAN, THOMAS A. ADAMS, STEPHEN G. CRANE, JJ.


ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.

This child support proceeding pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (hereinafter the UIFSA), enacted in New York as Family Court Act article 5-B, was initially commenced in California by Ruth Coleman (hereinafter the grandmother), on behalf of her granddaughter, Shauna Thomas (hereinafter Shauna), who were both California residents, against Shauna's father, Keith L. Thomas, a New York resident. After the proceeding was transferred to the Family Court, Queens County, a hearing was held, and an order of support was entered on September 9, 1998, against the father. Approximately two years later, the father sought to terminate that order of support on the ground that the grandmother had passed away and Shauna was 19 years old. After a hearing, the Hearing Examiner denied the father's application without prejudice, and ordered that Shauna be made the direct payee on the order of support. By order dated February 21, 2001, the Family Court denied the father's objections to the Hearing Examiner's determination.

On appeal, the father argues that Family Court Act §§ 580-304 and 580-305 are unconstitutional, both on their face and as applied to him, because they allegedly do not allow for a due process hearing before a support order is either issued or modified. However, since the father did not raise this argument before either the Hearing Examiner or the Family Court, it is unpreserved for appellate review (see Matter of Dauria v. Dauria, 286 A.D.2d 879; Matter of Baucom v. Francis, 261 A.D.2d 251; Matter of Stone v. Stone, 236 A.D.2d 615). Moreover, because the father failed to timely notify the Attorney-General of his constitutional challenge to the statutes, it is not properly before this court for that reason as well (see Matter of Rivera v. Cassas, 275 A.D.2d 417; Matter of Barrett v. Manton, 253 A.D.2d 503, 504).

In any event, the issue is without merit. Not only does the UIFSA provide for a hearing before the issuance of a child support order (see Family Ct Act § 580-401[c]), but the father did, in fact, receive a hearing both before the initial support order was issued in 1998, and before the modification of that order in 2000.

RITTER, J.P., ALTMAN, ADAMS and CRANE, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

In the Matter of Coleman v. Thomas

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jun 18, 2002
295 A.D.2d 508 (N.Y. App. Div. 2002)
Case details for

In the Matter of Coleman v. Thomas

Case Details

Full title:IN THE MATTER OF RUTH COLEMAN o/b/o SHAUNA THOMAS, respondent, v. KEITH L…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Jun 18, 2002

Citations

295 A.D.2d 508 (N.Y. App. Div. 2002)
744 N.Y.S.2d 434

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