Opinion ID: 1161647
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Trial Court Erred in Calculating the Child Support Obligation.

Text: Tarie contends that the trial court erred in imputing a $20,000 income to Tarie. [34] Here, noting Tarie's past work earnings and her college degree, the trial court found that Tarie was voluntarily underemployed and that she could earn $11 an hour, approximately $22,800 a year, if she chose to take available work. Moreover, Tarie's counsel stated in her closing argument that with Tarie's skills and work experience, Tarie could earn from $10-$12 an hour. Thus, the trial court's imputation of a $20,000 wage income is not clearly erroneous. But the trial court also included $2,000 of interest from Tarie's $50,000 settlement proceeds in its calculation of Tarie's income. If, as Tarie contends, the lawsuit proceeds had been exhausted by the time of trial, they are no longer available to generate interest income. If this is the case, the court erred in including $2,000 of interest income in its determination of adjusted income for child support purposes. As a result, we remand so that the court may determine whether Tarie is receiving this interest income and recalculate the child support obligation as necessary. [35]