Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Child Support
The standard of review for a child support award in a Florida family law case is abuse of discretion. This means the appellate court will review the trial court record to determine if the trial court abused its discretion in how it calculated child support. This was an issue in the case Phara v. Robert, 3D24-1237 (Fla. 3d DCA February 26, 2025).
In this case, the father filed a paternity action. After a trial the court established a parenting plan and awarded child support to the mother. The father appealed the child support award, arguing it was error because the mother had not complied with mandatory disclosure.
The appellate court disagreed with the father noting the record showed the mother provided a financial affidavit, paystubs, W-2 forms and tax returns. The court held “Because the Mother complied with mandatory financial disclosure requirements and the trial court properly applied the Florida Child Support Guidelines based on the financial records provided, we find that no abuse of discretion occurred.”
Schedule your consultation with a Miami family law attorney to learn more about how the law may apply to the facts of your case.