Karen H. Buntin v. David W. Buntin

This divorce action involves a marriage of twenty-one years’ duration wherein the
husband maintained a significantly greater earning capacity than that of the wife. The
trial court ordered the husband to pay transitional alimony to the wife during the time she
sought to obtain her Ph.D. and for two years thereafter, or for seven years from the time
of the divorce, whichever time period was shorter. The amount of the husband’s child
support obligation was reduced to zero because he had agreed to pay the minor children’s
private school tuition. Furthermore, the trial court’s net division of the parties’ marital
assets and liabilities was nearly equal, and the trial court awarded attorney’s fees to the
wife. The husband has appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm the trial
court’s judgment in its entirety. We further determine that the wife is entitled to an
award of attorney’s fees incurred on appeal, and we remand this matter for the trial
court’s determination concerning the proper amount to be awarded.