Angela M. Cafferata v. Abdel M. Abdalla

── Angela M. Cafferata v. Abdel M. Abdalla ── Court: New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division Date: May 15, 2026 Category: General NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited . R. 1:36-3. SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-4104-23 ANGELA M. CAFFERATA, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. ABDEL M. ABDALLA, Defendant-Appellant. ________________________ Submitted February 25, 2026 – Decided May 15, 2026 Before Judges Gummer and Jacobs. On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Somerset County, Docket No. FD-18-0355-17. Abdel M. Abdalla, self-represented appellant. Respondent did not file a brief. PER CURIAM Defendant Abdel M. Abdalla appeals from a June 28, 2024 order requiring him to pay thirty-nine percent of unreimbursed child-related expenses. He also challenges the inclusion of $5,111.99 in his child-support arrears and asks this court to reverse or modify the trial court's child-support order. We affirm. I. Plaintiff and defendant, who were never married, share one son, born in 2005. The parties ended their relationship in 2007. Since then, they have engaged in protracted litigation over child support. Following the parties' 2007 separation, defendant married in 2017 and lives with his wife and their two daughters. According to defendant, his wife has been unemployed since October 2023, making him the household's sole provider. He has repeatedly alleged plaintiff submitted fraudulent bills for their son's extracurricular activities and sought downward modification of his support obligations. On April 28, 2023, Judge Christopher Troxell adjusted defendant's child-support obligations, calculating his share of unreimbursed child-related expenses at thirty-nine percent. Defendant moved for reconsideration of Judge Troxell's ruling. On June 25, 2024, the parties appeared before Judge Dalya Youssef, who addressed the motion for reconsideration and simultaneously adjudicated plaintiff's cross- application to enforce litigant's rights and modify child support. Defendant sought a $5,111.99 credit, alleging certain billings for child-related activity A-4104-23 2 expenses were fraudulent, and requesting a further reduction or elimination of his child-support obligations. He also sought to hold plaintiff responsible for all "exorbitant" child-related expenses over $250 per year. Following the June 25 hearing, Judge Youssef entered a June 28 order denying defendant's motion. The judge declined to revisit alleged fraudulent bills for child-related expenses, finding those allegations had been addressed in previous motions and an associated criminal investigation against plaintiff. Additionally, the judge found defendant's support obligations for his other children had already been adequately considered in the April 2023 recalculation of defendant's support obligations. Accordingly, the judge granted plaintiff's cross-motion to enforce litigant's rights, adding various unreimbursed expenses to defendant's arrears, including costs for their son's contact lenses, laptop, car insurance, and vehicle maintenance. She determined the automobile expenses constituted college costs, as their son was commuting to college. The judge found no basis to further modify defendant's support obligations. Def