In re the Marriage of Fest

STERNBERG, Judge.

Following an eight-day trial in this dissolution of marriage case, the court divided the substantial assets of the parties, denied the claim of Baerbel M. Fest (the mother) for maintenance and attorney fees, and gave custody of their five-year-old daughter to Bruce F. Fest (the father). In awarding custody, however, the trial court ordered that the child spend approximately fifty percent of her time with each parent. The court then ordered the father to pay child support to the mother, the noncustodial parent, thus posing the determinative issue in this appeal: May an award…