In Re Marriage of Chakko

The first obligation of a parent is to support his or her children. {In re Marriage of Hyon & Kirschner (1991) 231 Cal.App.3d 449, 452 [ 282 Cal.Rptr. 408 ].) This rule is apparently lost on appellant, who sees the instant child support action only as a contest with his former wife. In this situation, a spouse should set aside his or her animosity for a former spouse and focus instead on the financial well-being of his or her children.

Jacob Chakko (Father) appeals from the trial court’s postjudgment child support “issue sanction” order declaring that his income is $40,000 per month and precluding him from offering any evidence to the contrary. The trial court entered this order because Father failed to comply with an order compelling him to provide discovery of his financial records to his ex-wife, Asha Chakko (Mother) and the Ventura County District Attorney (District Attorney). Father contends the order is punitive, an abuse of discretion, and not supported by substantial evidence. He is partially correct. The order is punitive because Father has interfered with the truth-seeking function of the trial court by refusing to cooperate in discovery. When the trial court…