Strom

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

Steven M. Strom was born in May of 1993 to Teresa F. Arteaga (Mother) and Scott C. Strom (Father), who were never married. In 1997, the superior court ordered Father to pay $948 per month in child support to Mother. Father, however, failed to pay support and, by late 2009, owed Mother a substantial amount of support arrearages. In 2010, Father filed an application for order to show cause to vacate the arrearages, naming Mother and Placer County Department of Child Support Services. Mother responded by requesting to have support arrearages established by the court. The court held a contested hearing on child support arrearages. In Father’s statement of issues and contentions for trial, he claimed that (1) Mother is equitably estopped from asserting her right to child support arrearages because of an agreement he alleged was made between Mother and Father in 1996 that she would not seek child support and he would abandon efforts to have visitation with the child, (2) Mother intentionally waived her right to receive child support by concealing the child, and (3) Mother is judicially estopped from asserting her right to child support arrearages because she did not…