Wetzler v. Wetzler

OPINION

Michael Wetzler has appealed from a superior court order of March 1976 awarding custody of his six minor children, then of the ages of 13, 10, 9, 7, 6 and 3, to his former wife, Sandra Wetzler (now Sandra Robison). 1 We affirm the decision below and hold that the trial court did not err in its treatment of the “tender years” doctrine. 2

Under the “tender years” doctrine, a mother will generally be given preference for custody if the other factors are evenly balanced. 3 In this case, the trial court heard five days of testimony concerning the fitness of each parent and also considered a…