08-26-08 Michael A. Strahan v. Jean M. Strahan
A-3747-06T4
In calculating child support for high income families, the
trial court must undertake a meaningful analysis of the
custodial parent's statement of the children's needs and make a
determination as to whether the expenses claimed by the
custodial parent are reasonable. We reiterate the "three pony
rule" in such cases; that is, "no child, no matter how wealthy
the parents, needs to be provided [with] more than three
ponies." Isaacson v. Isaacson, 348 N.J. Super. 560, 582 (App.
Div.), certif. denied, 174 N.J. 364 (2002) (quoting In re
Patterson, 920 P.2d 450, 455 (Kan. App. 1996)).