Question juridique clé
Whether uncontested child support awards may become final separately from the appealed spousal maintenance contribution in a divorce appeal.
Solution extraite
No. The appellate court should not allow the child support awards to become final separately when the spousal maintenance contribution is challenged.
Motifs extraits
Child support is subject to the unrestricted official inquiry principle, so the appellate court is not bound by matching party requests and may act ex officio. Because child and spousal maintenance are practically interdependent, partial finality of child support would unduly restrict the court's scope of review; the draft new divorce law also contemplates reexamining child support when the spouse's maintenance is appealed.