To avoid unduly large child support awards, trial judges calculating support obligations in high-income cases must assess the reasonable needs of the children, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled in a decision the plaintiff’s attorney called ”historic.”

The court unanimously ruled in Hanrahan v. Bakker that the high-income child support guidelines found at Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-3.1, which were adopted in 2010 and apply when both parties’ combined net income exceeds $30,000 per month, do not obviate the need for a discrete analysis regarding how much money is actually necessary to meet the reasonable needs of the children.

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