Basics of Pennsylvania Law: Double Dip, Part III

This is the third in a series of posts containing summaries of Pennsylvania case law on the issue of double dipping in divorce. “Double dipping” occurs when an income-producing asset (such as a pension or business) is counted as marital property subject to equitable distribution, as well as income subject to an alimony or child support obligation.

Miller v. Miller, 783 A.2d 832 (Pa. Super. 2001)

In Miller, the parties settled their division of property, and Wife subsequently sought a modification of child support based on the income that Husband derived from the sale of his share of marital assets. The Superior Court held that the proceeds from the sale of assets were not “income” within the statutory definition. The Superior Court affirmed the trial court’s refusal to modify child support when the payor received proceeds from the sale of marital assets after the divorce and division of property. The double dip in Miller was another reason for the Court’s decision.

Rohrer v. Rohrer, 715 A.2d 463, 465 (Pa. Super. 1998).

            Rohrer was the first published decision to prohibit double dipping in Pennsylvania. (Interestingly, the opinion was written by Judge Popovich, who had held in McFadden that double dipping was permitted.) In Rohrer, the husband was an owner of a business organized as a Subchapter “S” corporation. At an early stage of the proceedings, the pass-through earnings of the business were included in the husband’s income when calculating his support obligations. At equitable distribution, the husband asked the master to exclude retained earnings from the value of the business, in order to avoid double dipping. Husband’s request was granted by the master, but only to the extent that retained earnings from the date of the support order forward into the future were excluded. The retained earnings that accrued prior to the support order were counted as part of the value of the business.

            The trial court reversed the master’s decision and excluded all of the retained earnings. On appeal, the Superior Court reversed and adopted the master’s finding. The Superior Court held that “money included in an individual’s income for the purpose of calculating support payments may not also be labeled as a marital asset subject to equitable distribution.” Rohrer, at 465.