Melmark, Inc. v. Schutt by and Through Schutt

SAYLOR, C.J., BAER, TODD, DONOHUE, DOUGHERTY, WECHT, MUNDY, JJ.

OPINION

CHIEF JUSTICE SAYLOR

This matter arises due to the failure of a New Jersey couple to pay for their adult son's stay at a Pennsylvania nonprofit residential facility. It primarily raises a choice-of-law issue in relation to the two states' filial-support statutes.

I. Background

Alexander Schutt ("Alex"), born in 1986, is an individual with severe mental and physical disabilities, including autism and *1099 obsessive-compulsive disorder. He exhibits maladaptive behaviors such as extreme aggression, noncompliance, elopement, and pica…