Eckstine v. Moores CA4/1
This is an appeal from a need-based pendente lite award of attorney fees to be paid by Jennifer Moores (Mother) to Karl Eckstine (Father). The parties do not dispute that Mother has substantially more financial resources than Father. Rather, the discord related to this award turns primarily on whether the fees incurred and anticipated by Father are reasonably necessary to the litigation, in which a vehement child custody battle predominates. While Mother challenges the award on multiple individual grounds, all center on whether Father's attorney fees are inflated because he has overlitigated the case. This is an issue that the experienced trial judge, who presided over this matter almost since its inception, was uniquely qualified to resolve. Although the award made by the judge is sizeable, it is sufficiently supported by the evidence before the court both in light of the parties' submissions and the court's longstanding experience with the case. Accordingly, we aff
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