Trial to determine appropriate access schedule and child support obligation for a child born to unmarried parents who never cohabited.
The mother sought sole custody, limited access for the father (three days per week with no overnights), and retroactive child support from birth.
The father sought joint custody and shared parenting.
The court found the mother has been the primary caregiver since birth.
The father engaged in serious verbal and emotional abuse toward the mother, exposed the child to parental conflict, demonstrated poor judgment, and vindictive behavior.
The court rejected the Office of the Children's Lawyer's recommendation for shared parenting, finding it unsupported by the investigator's own findings.
The court granted sole custody to the mother with regular overnight access to the father, and ordered retroactive child support from November 2015 with prospective support based on the Child Support Guidelines.
