| Matter of Brink v Brink |
| 2008 NY Slip Op 07657 [55 AD3d 601] |
| October 7, 2008 |
| Appellate Division, Second Department |
| In the Matter of Deniz Brink, Appellant, v David L. Brink,Respondent. |
—[*1] Phillips, Weiner, Quinn, Artura & Cox, Lindenhurst, N.Y. (James F. Quinn of counsel), forrespondent.
In a child support proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 4, the mother appeals, as limitedby her brief, from so much of an order of the Family Court, Suffolk County (Luft, J.), dated August 23,2007, as denied her objections to stated portions of an order of the same court (Grier, S.M.), datedJune 12, 2007, which, after a hearing, inter alia, denied those branches of her petition which were forreimbursement of the father's 50% share of health care, summer camp, and child care expenses andawarded her an attorney's fee in the sum of only $3,500.
Ordered that the order dated August 23, 2007 is modified, on the law, by deleting the provisionsthereof denying the mother's objections to so much of the order dated June 12, 2007, as denied thosebranches of her petition which were for reimbursement of the father's 50% share of health care, summercamp, and child care expenses, and substituting therefor a provision sustaining the objections to thatportion of the order dated June 12, 2007, and directing the father to pay the mother his 50% share ofhealth care, summer camp, and child care expenses, in the total sum of $35,356.90; as so modified, theorder is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs to the mother.
The mother commenced the instant proceeding, inter alia, seeking reimbursement from the fatherfor child care, summer camp, and unreimbursed health care expenses expended for the parties' child.The [*2]parties' judgment of divorce, among other things, directed thefather to pay the mother his monthly child support obligation, "together with such dollar amounts orpercentages [50%] for child care, education and health care as set forth [in] the parties' agreemententered on March 6, 2000 as well as the Amendment to the Agreement between the parties datedNovember 25, 2002." The parties' separation agreement, as amended, provided that "the parties shallshare equally [50%] the cost of medical and dental expenses of said unemancipated child notreimbursed by applicable medical insurance coverage." The separation agreement also required thefather to pay for one-half of the transportation and tuition expenses of summer camp.
The terms of a separation agreement incorporated but not merged into a judgment of divorceoperate as contractual obligations binding on the parties (see Matter of Gravlin v Ruppert, 98NY2d 1, 3-7 [2002]). "[W]hen interpreting a contract, the court should arrive at a construction whichwill give fair meaning to all of the language employed by the parties to reach a practical interpretation ofthe expressions of the parties so that their reasonable expectations will be realized" (Joseph v Creek& Pines, 217 AD2d 534, 535 [1995]; see Partrick v Guarniere, 204 AD2d 702, 704[1994]).
Here, the Support Magistrate incorrectly interpreted the judgment of divorce and the separationagreement in denying those branches of the mother's petition which were for reimbursement of childcare, summer camp, and unreimbursed health care expenses. Contrary to the Support Magistrate'sfindings, there was no requirement in the judgment of divorce or the separation agreement that themother present a formal demand to the father for reimbursement of child care and summer campexpenses, or that she must use the father's insurance carrier to obtain health care for the child.
Accordingly, the mother's objections to the Support Magistrate's denial of her claim forreimbursement of the father's 50% share of health care, summer camp, and child care expenses shouldhave been sustained and the Family Court should have directed the father to pay the mother his 50%share of health care, summer camp, and child care expenses in the total sum of $35,356.90.
However, the Support Magistrate's award of an attorney's fee in the sum of $3,500, which tookinto consideration the equities and circumstances of the case and the respective financial status of theparties (see Lodovico v Lodovico, 51AD3d 731 [2008]; Palumbo vPalumbo, 10 AD3d 680, 682 [2004]), was a provident exercise of discretion and theobjection thereto was properly denied. Rivera, J.P., Dillon, Covello and Angiolillo, JJ., concur.