Sharpe v. Sharpe

366 P.3d 66 (2016)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

W is a Yup'ik Eskimo who was raised in Nome and has family ties to the native village of Stebbins. W was 'living in Anchorage, working at Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, and earning approximately $120,000 a year. Jyzuk (H) had primary physical custody, and W was ordered to pay $1,507 per month in child support. In April 2013, she left Anchorage and took up a subsistence lifestyle in Stebbins. H moved to modify the child support order. W alleged she was 'no longer employed,' that she was 'a full-time stay at home mother,' and that her only income was her annual Permanent Fund Dividend. W requested that the court reduce her monthly child support payment to $50 per month, the minimum allowed. H argued that W was 'voluntarily and unreasonably unemployed.' W expressed her desire to expose the parties' child to traditional life in Stebbins. And she said that living in Stebbins, a dry community, provided a reprieve from an alcohol abuse issue she had experienced during her marriage. The court denied W's motion. W appealed.