TRICIA A. THOMPSON v. ASHLEY N. THOMPSON
No. 36 WAP 2018
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA, WESTERN DISTRICT
DECIDED: JANUARY 22, 2020
[J-27-2019]
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
WESTERN DISTRICT
SAYLOR, C.J., BAER, TODD, DONOHUE, DOUGHERTY, WECHT, MUNDY, JJ.
TRICIA A. THOMPSON : No. 36 WAP 2018
:
v. : Appeal from the Order of the
: Superior Court entered May 8, 2018
: at No. 647 WDA 2017, reversing and
ASHLEY N. THOMPSON : vacating the Order of the Court of
: Common Pleas of Clarion County
: entered February 15, 2017 at No.
APPEAL OF: CLARION COUNTY : 2015-D00104 and remanding
DOMESTIC RELATIONS SECTION :
: ARGUED: April 10, 2019
OPINION
JUSTICE DONOHUE DECIDED: JANUARY 22, 2020
holding that the suspended sentence imposed upon Appellee, Ashley N. Thompson
(“Thompson”), for civil contempt of a child support order is illegal because suspended
sentences1 are not authorized by section 4345 of the Domestic Relations Code, 23
Pa.C.S. § 4345. For the reasons set forth herein, we hold that a suspended sentence is
not a legal sanction for contempt of a support order. Thus, we affirm the judgment of the
Superior Court.
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I. Background
We begin with the factual background. In 2015, Thompson placed her two children
in the custody of her mother, Tricia Thompson (“Grandmother”). Grandmother
subsequently sought child support from Thompson. The Clarion County Domestic
Relations Section (“DRS”) computed Thompson’s child support obligation pursuant to the
child support guidelines to be $108 per month. The trial court subsequently entered an
order establishing Thompson’s child support obligation at that amount. Shortly after the
order was entered, however, Thompson fell behind in her payments, and DRS
commenced an enforcement action by filing petitions for civil and indirect criminal
contempt against Thompson.
Following the adjudication of these petitions, the trial court ordered Thompson to
remain current with her $108 monthly support obligation and to pay an additional $30 per
month in arrears, for a total monthly payment of $138. Thompson again soon fell behind
in her payments. Grandmother thereafter requested that DRS terminate the support
case, notwithstanding the arrearages, but DRS declined to do so. On October 11, 2016,
the trial court issued
$138 per month, to be applied solely to the arrearages. When Thompson again failed to
remain current, DRS filed another contempt petition.
On February 14, 2017, prior to the scheduled hearing on this contempt petition,
Thompson and her attorney attended a conference with a DRS conference officer. During
the conference, the parties executed an agreement (“the Agreement”), in which
Thompson admitted that she was in civil contempt of the support order and agreed to stay
current with her monthly payments of $138. The Agreement acknowledged that
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Thompson had the present ability to pay this amount. The Agreement further provided
that if Thompson failed to remain current in her obligation, a bench warrant would be
issued for her immediate arrest and she would serve a six-month jail sentence. The
Agreement also stated that Thompson waived any right to further hearings in the matter.
Thompson confirmed in the document that she had the right to counsel and that she
understood all the terms of the Agreement.
Immediately following the execution of the Agreement, the hearing on DRS’
contempt petition commenced. The parties presented the Agreement to the trial court
and Thompson confirmed on the record that she had read and signed the form,
understood her attorney’s advice, and consented to the terms of the Agreement. Notes
of Testimony (“N.T.”), 2/14/2017, at 4-5. Thompson indicated that she was gainfully
employed, had the ability to make the $138 monthly payments, would continue to work,
and would be able to make such payments in the future. Id. at 3. Thompson
acknowledged that if she failed to make the payments, she would serve a sentence of six
months of incarceration. Id.
After the hearing, the trial court issued an order incorporating the terms of the
Agreement and providing, in relevant part, as follows:
[Thompson] admitted to being in civil contempt. [Thompson]
is sentenced to [six] months [of] incarceration to be
suspended upon the following conditions:
1. Remain current with paying full monthly support
obligation by the last business day of each month, starting in
February 2017.
2. Notify DRS of any change in income, address, or
employment within 24 hours.
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Failure to comply with the above conditions will result in a
bench warrant being issued for [Thompson’s] immediate
arrest and incarceration of [six] months, without further
hearing. If incarcerated, [Thompson] shall be released upon
serving [six] months or acceptable purge conditions.
Trial Court Order, 2/15/2017, at 2.
Thompson subsequently appealed the trial court’s order on various grounds.
Pertinent to the present appeal, in her Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) statement of matters
complained of on appeal, Thompson argued that the suspended sentence imposed by
the trial court is not a statutorily-authorized sanction for civil contempt of a child support
order under section 4345 of the Domestic Relations Code. Section 4345, entitled
“Contempt for noncompliance with support order,” provides as follows:
(a) General rule. -- A person who willfully fails to comply
with any order under this chapter, except an order subject to
section 4344 (relating to contempt for failure of obligor to
appear), may, as prescribed by general rule, be adjudged in
contempt. Contempt shall be punishable by any one or more
of the following:
(1) Imprisonment for a period not to exceed six
months.
(2) A fine not to exceed $ 1,000.
(3) Probation for a period not to exceed one year. (b) Condition for release. -- An order committing a
defendant to jail under this section shall specify the condition
the fulfillment of which will result in the release of the obligor.
In its ensuing opinion, the trial court initially emphasized that the Pennsylvania
Rules of Civil Procedure permit parties to reach an agreement during a conference and
to submit that agreement to the court. Trial Court Opinion, 6/7/2017, at 5 (citing Pa.R.C.P.
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1910.25-2(c) (providing that “[i]f an agreement is reached at the conference, the
conference officer shall prepare a written order in conformity with the agreement for
signature by the parties and submission to the court”)). The trial court rejected
Thompson’s argument that it lacked statutory authority to impose a suspended sentence
for civil contempt of a support order. It held that a court may impose a suspended
sentence in a support case absent specific statutory authority so long as the suspended
sentence is not indefinite. Id. (citing Commonwealth v. Ferrier, 473 A.2d 1375, 1378 (Pa.
Super. 1984) (holding that “[a]n indefinitely suspended sentence is not a sanctioned
sentencing alternative”)). The trial court further reasoned that the suspended sentence
imposed was not indefinite, as the arrearages amounted to $1,426.18 and Thompson
agreed to pay $138 per month; thus, assuming that Thompson remained current in her
obligation, the sentence would conclude in eleven months. Id.
The Superior Court reversed. Thompson v. Thompson, 187 A.3d 259 (Pa. Super.
2018), appeal granted, 195 A.3d 186 (Pa. 2019). The intermediate appellate court agreed
with Thompson that trial courts cannot impose a suspended sentence because it is not
authorized by section 4345(a), and therefore illegal. Id. at 264. In support of this
conclusion, the Superior Court cited Commonwealth v. Joseph, 848 A.2d 934, 941 (Pa.
Super. 2004), which held that an indefinitely suspended sentence is illegal because it is
not among the sentencing alternatives enumerated in section 9721(a) of the Sentencing
Code. Id. The Superior Court reasoned that although Joseph involved sentencing in a
criminal context, the rationale was instructive in this civil contempt case.2 Id.
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DRS filed a petition for allowance of appeal, which this Court granted in order to
consider the following issue:
Did the Superior Court of Pennsylvania err in determining that
the suspended sentence imposed by the trial court’s February
15, 2017 order was an illegal, indefinitely suspended
sentence, rather than a sentence [of] probation, which is a
sanctioned punishment under 23 Pa.C.S. § 4345(a)[.]
Order, 10/3/2018.3
II. The Parties’ Arguments
DRS contends that the intermediate appellate court’s decision has far-reaching
of a support order. It disagrees with the Superior Court’s characterization of Thompson’s
sentence as indefinitely suspended and argues that the punishment imposed here is
effectively a probationary sentence, which section 4345 expressly permits. DRS’ Brief at
7. DRS contends that where a suspended sentence is conditional in nature and provides
for court supervision, it is a legal sentence of probation, notwithstanding the absence of
the term “probation” in the sentencing order. DRS’ Brief at 7-9 (citing Joseph, 848 A.2d
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at 942; Commonwealth v. Duffy, 681 A.2d 219 (Pa. Super. 1996); Commonwealth v.
Harrison, 398 A.2d 1057 (Pa. Super. 1979)).
DRS argues that Thompson’s sentence meets these qualifications. It points out
that the order includes conditions directing her to remain current in her support obligation
and to notify DRS of any change in income, address, or employment. DRS emphasizes
that these conditions are nearly identical to supervisory conditions authorized by section
9754 of the Sentencing Code, which govern the imposition of an order of probation. DRS’
Brief at 11-13 (citing
conditions” that may be imposed on a probationary sentence)). As for continuing court
supervision, DRS contends that because the Domestic Relations Section of each court
of common pleas has the statutory obligation to accept and monitor child support obligors’
payments, it is implied that the DRS will provide continuous court supervision of
Thompson’s compliance with her support obligation. See id. at 10-11 (citing
§ 4325 (“[A]n order of support shall direct payment to be made payable to or payment to
be made to the domestic relations section for transmission to the obligee … .”);
§ 4352(a) (“The court making an order of support shall at all times maintain jurisdiction of
the matter for the purpose of enforcement of the order and for the purpose of increasing,
decreasing, modifying or rescinding the order … .”)). Thus, DRS concludes that
Thompson’s sentence, which was imposed as six months of incarceration, suspended so
long as she remains current with monthly support obligations and notifies DRS of any
change in income, address, or employment, constitutes a term of probation, which is
expressly permitted by section 4345(a)(3). DRS requests that we reject the Superior
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Court’s “overly broad” pronouncement that suspended sentences imposed for civil
contempt of a support order are always illegal. Id. at 15.
In contrast, Thompson rejects the notion that her punishment is a de facto
sentence of probation because the trial court did not use the term “probation,” or explicitly
impose court supervision or require her to report to the court. Thompson’s Brief at 2-3,
8-9. She refutes DRS’ claim that the Superior Court’s holding below conflicts with Joseph,
Duffy, and Harrison, arguing that those cases involved criminal proceedings with policy
considerations distinct from those present in the civil contempt proceedings at issue here.
Id. at 5-6. Thompson argues that in Joseph, Duffy, and Harrison, the Superior Court did
not create a per se rule that a suspended sentence constitutes probation if it is conditional
in nature and provides for continued court supervision. Rather, Thompson argues that
those cases suggest that courts must analyze the facts of each case to determine whether
the trial court intended
maintains, there is no evidence that the trial court intended to sentence her to a
probationary term. Id. Thompson echoes the Superior Court’s characterization of her
sentence as an illegal indefinite suspension. Thompson’s Brief at 10 (citing
Commonwealth v. Duff, 200 A.2d 773, 774 (Pa. 1964) (holding that “[t]heories of implied
probation and indefinite suspension of sentence are not only contrary to the clearly
expressed intent of the legislature, but are also violative of true principles of probation
and, as in this case, promote confusion where none should exist”)).
III. Analysis
Resolution of this appeal requires us to determine whether the Superior Court
erred by declaring that suspended sentences for contempt of a support order are illegal
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because they are not authorized by section 4345(a) of the Domestic Relations Code. This
issue presents a question of law, for which our standard of review is de novo and our
scope of review is plenary. Gavin v. Loeffelbein, 205 A.3d 1209, 1221 (Pa. 2019).
As with all matters of statutory interpretation, we apply the Statutory Construction
Act,
ascertaining the intent of the General Assembly in enacting the statute under review. Id.
In doing so, we give effect to the plain language of a provision whenever that language is
clear and free from ambiguity. Id.; see also
ignore unambiguous language under the pretext of pursuing the spirit of the statute, we
must always read the words of a statute in context and not in isolation, and give meaning
to every provision. Loeffelbein, 205 A.3d at 1221. Our interpretation must not render any
provision extraneous or produce an absurd result. Id.;
Our interpretative analysis of section 4345(a) is straightforward, as there is no
ambiguity in the statute. Section 4345(a) provides three express punishments for a
support obligor who is found to be in contempt for noncompliance with a support order:
(1) imprisonment for a period of up to six months; (2) a fine of up to $1,000; and (3)
probation for a period of up to one year. 23 Pa.C.S. § 4345(a). It unequivocally provides
that “[c]ontempt shall be punishable by any one or more” of the three alternatives it sets
forth in subsections (a)(1)-(3), and it conspicuously does not include language imparting
any discretion on a trial court to impose any other form of punishment, including a
suspended sentence of incarceration. The omission of language condoning the
imposition of suspended sentences speaks volumes, as it effectively prohibits trial courts
from imposing them for civil contempt of a child support order. Long established maxims
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of statutory construction compel this result. Under the doctrine of expressio unius est
exclusio alterius, “the inclusion of a specific matter in a statute implies the exclusion of
other matters.” See, e.g., Atcovitz v. Gulph Mills Tennis Club, Inc., 812 A.2d 1218, 1223
(Pa. 2002). Similarly, this Court has long recognized that as a matter of statutory
interpretation, “although one is admonished to listen attentively to what a statute says;
one must also listen attentively to what it does not say.” See, e.g., Kmonk-Sullivan v.
State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 788 A.2d 955, 962 (Pa. 2001). Applying these maxims,
if the General Assembly intended to permit trial courts to impose suspended sentences
for civil contempt of a child support order, it would have expressly provided for this
alternative. It did not. We cannot ignore this exclusion. Because suspended sentences
order, they are illegal and may not be imposed.
In its attempt to save the unauthorized imposition of a suspended sentence, DRS
argues that the sentence imposed is not indefinitely suspended, as the Superior Court
indicated, but rather, that it is substantively the equivalent of the authorized punishment
of probation. It points to Joseph, Harrison, and Duffy, in which the Superior Court deemed
punishments imposed as suspended sentences to be sentences of probation. DRS’ Brief
at 7-8 (citing Joseph, 848 A.2d at 941; Duffy, 681 A.2d 219; Commonwealth v. Harrison,
398 A.2d 1057). In those cases, the Superior Court examined the terms of the
punishments to discern whether they contained conditions necessary to qualify as
probationary sentences.4 DRS urges this Court to do the same and undertake an
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interpretive reading of the order that would result in a finding that (1) the conditions for
the suspension of the sentence are similar to conditions of probation, as allowed by
statute, and (2) that the order implies continuous court supervision because sections 4325
and 4352(a) of the Domestic Relations Code require, respectively, that support payments
be made through the domestic relations section of a court of common pleas and that the
ordering court maintain jurisdiction over the support case for enforcement and
modification purposes. See DRS’ Brief at 10-14.
There is no principled reason for this Court, or any appellate court, to engage in
an interpretive analysis of an order entered pursuant to section 4345 in an attempt to save
it from a determination that it is invalid. There are three valid sentencing alternatives
established by statute, and a suspended sentence of incarceration is not one of them.
Appellate courts should not be put to the task of parsing a contempt-of-support order to
determine if it can be squeezed into the unambiguous statutory framework. If a court
intends to order probation, it must so state. Deference to the legislative mandate, judicial
efficiency, and common sense mandate that support orders be clear on their face and
compliant with section 4345.
The suspended sentence imposed here is indefinite on its face. See Trial Court
Order, 2/15/2017.5 More than half a century ago, in Duff, this Court addressed the
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practice
and the problems these sentences created. There, the defendant was convicted of six
crimes. The trial court sentenced him to a twenty-three month term of probation on one
of the convictions and it suspended sentence on the remaining five convictions. Duff, 200
A.2d at 773-74. After the probationary sentence was completed, the defendant was
convicted of another crime. Following this new conviction, the trial court vacated the five
suspended sentences and imposed sentences of imprisonment on each. Id. at 774. On
appeal, this Court acknowledged the long-standing practice of trial courts to suspend
sentences without also imposing probation for a set period of time. Nevertheless, we also
recognized two statutes that required trial courts to impose fixed periods of probation
when they do not impose sentences of incarceration.6 This Court emphasized that the
legislative mandate (requiring fixed periods of probation) could not be ignored, and we
declared that the practice of indefinite suspension must cease, as it was contrary to the
law. Id. In so doing, the Court recognized not only that indefinitely suspended sentences
were contrary to legislative intent, but also that their imposition served to “promote
confusion where none should exist.” Id. These words ring as true today as they did
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decades ago in Duff, as such sentences continue to sow confusion in the shadow of a
clear and unambiguous statute.
Trial courts are bound to follow the letter of the law and impose only one or more
of the three punishments identified in section 4345(a) for civil contempt of a child support
order. Because the trial court in this case did not impose any of the punishments
authorized by the statute, its sentence was illegal.
Accordingly, the decision of the Superior Court is affirmed.
Chief Justice Saylor and Justices Todd, Dougherty and Wecht joined the opinion.
Justice Baer files a dissenting opinion in which Justice Mundy joins.