Thompson Case Maner v. Kathryn "Katie" Maner

Fayetteville, Arkansas family law lawyers represented the parties in a child support modification dispute.



In May 2019, the parties entered an agreed order modifying Case's child-support obligation to $7000 a month due to a material change in circumstances. The parties further agreed to equally split the costs of airfare for the children to travel to tennis tournaments; the fees for tennis tournaments; tennis memberships and lessons; School of Rock fees; school lunches and field trips; and any other agreed-upon extracurricular activities.



Case filed the current motion to decrease his child-support obligation in January 2020; Katie then filed a counterpetition to decrease the amount of her child-support setoff. In the October 1, 2020 order dismissing both petitions for failure to show a material change in circumstances, the circuit court found each party paid approximately $200 a month in health-insurance premiums for the children; over the last fourteen months the noncovered medical and dental expenses had totaled $914, with each parent responsible for one-half; and the parties had spent a total of $22,872 in the last fourteen months for the children's cell phones and extracurricular activities, with each party being responsible for one-half. Even though the circuit court found that the incomes of both parties had decreased-Case's from $62,484.50 a month in 2018 to $53,468.08 a month in 2019, and Katie's from $12,779 a month in 2018 to $10,911 a month in 2019-it determined that was not a material change of circumstances sufficient to modify child support. After this court reversed and remanded that finding in Maner I for further consideration, the circuit court ordered Case's monthly child-support obligation to remain at $7000.

Thompson Case Maner was ordered to pay $7,000 a month in child support. Affirmed in part and reversed in part.