A-16-1072, Staci Ane Kolar v. Brandon Tester (Appellant)
Hall County, District Court Judge Mark Young
Attorney for Appellant: Mitchell C. Stehlik (Lauritsen, Brownell, Brostrom, & Stehlik, P.C., L.L.O.)
Attorney for Appellee and Cross-Appellant: J.D. Sabott (Shamberg, Wolf, McDermott & Depue)
Civil Action: Paternity; child custody
Action Taken by Trial Court: The district court determined that Tester was the father of the parties’ minor child, granted physical and legal custody of the minor child to Kolar subject to Tester’s parenting time, and ordered Tester to pay child support.
Assignments of Error on Appeal: On appeal, Tester assigns that the district court abused its discretion in (1) failing to award Tester the primary custody of the minor child; (2) failing to include several provisions in its parenting plan that were requested by Tester; (3) failing to award the dependency exemption on an equal basis; (4) determining an amount of child support that did not reflect Tester’s actual economic circumstances; and (5) failing to grant a child support abatement to Tester when he has the minor child for the summer months. Tester also assigns that the district court’s decree contains several minor, yet significant, typographical errors. On cross-appeal, Kolar assigns that the district court abused its discretion when it awarded Tester his request to change the name of the minor child.