Stahl v. Department of Social and Health Services
Court of Appeals of Washington
717 P.2d 320 (1986)
Relevant factsFree
Stahl (defendant) separated from his wife, who was raising three children from a prior marriage, and she filed for dissolution in October 1981 while beginning to receive public assistance from DSHS (plaintiff) in March 1982, assigning her child-support rights to the agency; DSHS sought stepparent support payments from Stahl for the period before the marriage's legal dissolution in February 1983, and an administrative law judge found him liable, but the superior court reversed, holding a noncustodial stepparent owed no support obligation.
IssueFree
Whether a stepparent is obligated to support his stepchildren until the marriage to the children's parent is legally dissolved.