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1994, retroactive order of support of the court of common pleas
remained in effect until entry of the divorce decree of August 7,
1995. The order of support requires petitioner's former spouse
to pay "for support of spouse and one child."
In domestic relations proceedings in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, under Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa. R.
Civ. P.) 1910.16, the court on its own motion, or upon the motion
of either party may make an unallocated award in favor of the
spouse and one or more children, or the court may state
separately the amount of support allocable to the spouse and to
each child. Here, the language of the order of support does not
fix any specific amount for the payment of child support. The
language in petitioner's order of support makes an "unallocated"
award of spousal and child support.
Petitioner's argument is that all awards of support for a
spouse, a child, or both must, nevertheless, conform to
guidelines mandated by Federal law and adopted under rules of the
Pa. R. Civ. P. Although unallocated, the amount of child support
that she received, petitioner argues, is "easily determinable" by
reference to the support guidelines.
Federal law and State requirements
By way of the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984,
Pub. L. 98-378, sec. 18(a), 98 Stat. 1321, amended by the Family
Support Act of 1988, Pub. L. 100-485, sec. 103(a) and (b), 102
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