Coolidge v. Ulbrich

The issue in this case is whether in this dissolution of marriage action, the trial court erred in ordering that the minor child’s last name be formally changed to the name that the parties have used for the child throughout their marriage. We find no abuse of discretion and affirm.

The parties were married in November, 1989. A little over a year before the marriage, the wife had a daughter, Nicole, who was not fathered by the appellee, John Ulbrieh. At the time of Nicole’s birth, the wife was married to Gary Fritts. Although Nicole’s birth certificate lists her surname as “Fritts,” Gary…