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1601 - 1700 of 12389 results

State v. Arends 2020 ND 166
Docket No.: 20190373
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court order revoking probation and second criminal judgment is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

Varty v. Varty 2020 ND 165
Docket No.: 20190391
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Divorce - Property
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: The district court abuses its discretion when it misinterprets or misapplies the law.

A finding of unconscionability under Rule 60(b)(6) of the North Dakota Rules of Civil Procedure requires balancing procedural and substantive findings, and must analyze whether the judgment as a whole was so one-sided and created hardship that relief was required

A.R. Audit Services Inc. v. Young 2020 ND 164
Docket No.: 20200064
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Debtor/Creditor
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court order denying motion for relief under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b)(1) is summarily affirm under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4) and (7).

State v. Lindquist 2020 ND 163
Docket No.: 20200022
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment and an order denying a motion to suppress are affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2),(7).

Interest of Skorick 2020 ND 162
Docket No.: 20190349
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Individual
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: At a civil commitment hearing, the testimony and reports of an expert who conducted an examination are admissible.

A harmless error is one that does not affect a party’s substantial rights.

McCormick, et al. v. Fredericks 2020 ND 161
Docket No.: 20190254
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Jury instructions should fairly inform the jury of the law applicable to the case and fairly cover the claims made by both sides of the case. Jury instructions are reviewed as a whole, and are sufficient if they correctly advise the jury of the law.

A district court’s decision on whether to disqualify a law firm or a lawyer is reviewed for an abuse of discretion.

A court may order judicial supervision of the winding up of a dissolved limited liability company on a member’s application and showing of good cause.

State v. Scott 2020 ND 160
Docket No.: 20190317
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: There is no requirement for the district court to advise defendants they may plead not guilty based on the defense of double jeopardy.

The defense of double jeopardy is not presentable to the jury unless there is a question of fact.

Rule 803(24), N.D.R.Ev., which provides an exception to certain hearsay statements made by a child about sexual abuse, does not apply to non-hearsay testimony.

Laufer v. Doe 2020 ND 159
Docket No.: 20200001
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Torts (Negligence, Liab., Nuis.)
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A party seeking recovery of property damage allegedly caused by a pesticide application must strictly comply with statutory notice requirements under N.D.C.C. § 4.1-33-18.

State v. Metz 2020 ND 158
Docket No.: 20200023
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury verdict is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

State v. Banyee (consolidated w/ 20190281) 2020 ND 157
Docket No.: 20180251
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment and a judgment denying postconviction relief are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

Harrison v. State 2020 ND 156
Docket No.: 20200070
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court order denying an application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

State v. Helm 2020 ND 155
Docket No.: 20190325
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A defendant raising specific grounds in a N.D.R.Crim.P. 29 motion for judgment of acquittal waives on appeal other grounds not asserted in the district court.

City of Jamestown v. Schultz 2020 ND 154
Docket No.: 20190359
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: When an individual has been given a reasonable opportunity to consult with an attorney before deciding to take a chemical test, the individual is not required to be provided with a second chance to consult with an attorney subsequent to making a decision to take the chemical test.

Norby v. Hinesley, et al. 2020 ND 153
Docket No.: 20190337
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court’s decision on a motion to relocate is a finding of fact, which will not be reversed on appeal unless it is clearly erroneous.
A district court must analyze all four Stout-Hawkinson factors in determining whether a custodial parent may relocate out-of-state with a child.

Holter v. City of Mandan 2020 ND 152
Docket No.: 20190277
Filing Date: 7/22/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: This Court exercises a limited review of a challenge to a municipality’s decision to specially assess property.

A municipality has broad discretion to determine benefits and apportion assessments and costs to properties within an improvement district.

The special assessment against a property must not exceed the benefit which has been determined to have accrued thereto.

State v. Harstad 2020 ND 151
Docket No.: 20190400
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court abused its discretion awarding restitution for damages that were not directly related to the criminal conduct.

Zundel v. Zundel, et al. 2020 ND 150
Docket No.: 20190334
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court judgment finding a bill of transfer is void as a result of undue influence is not clearly erroneous.

The court did not abuse its discretion by quashing a post-trial subpoena.

Issues raised for the first time on appeal will not be considered.

State v. Kuntz 2020 ND 149
Docket No.: 20190365
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court’s order for restitution is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4).

Wisnewski v. Wisnewski 2020 ND 148
Docket No.: 20190209
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: The domestic violence presumption under N.D.C.C. § 14-09-29(2) is only rebutted by clear and convincing evidence.
The absence of physical abuse of a child, use of substances at the time of a domestic violence incident or subsequent treatment for the substance use does not rebut the presumption. The passage of time alone also does not rebut the presumption.

Under N.D.C.C. § 14-09-31(4), when a court finds domestic violence occurred, it shall make orders for the allocation of decision making responsibility that best protects the child, parent, or both.

Child support calculations must state how net income was determined. Under N.D.C.C. § 14-09-29(4), when a parent perpetrates domestic violence as described, fees must be awarded unless those costs would place an undue financial hardship.

Lavallie v. Jay, et al. 2020 ND 147
Docket No.: 20190402
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Personal Injury
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Issues related to subject matter jurisdiction can be raised at any time and cannot be waived.
As a general rule, it is presumed that North Dakota district courts have subject matter jurisdiction, and the party challenging the district court’s subject matter jurisdiction bears the burden of proving the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction.

Grove v. NDDOT 2020 ND 146
Docket No.: 20200016
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: When a party fails to raise an issue at an administrative hearing, the issue is normally precluded from review on appeal. We will reverse a district court’s decision when the basis of the decision was not raised in the administrative hearing.
A Report and Notice form containing the results of an on-site screening test or tests may be admitted into evidence at an administrative hearing for the purpose of establishing probable cause.

Nat'l Parks Conservation Assn., et al. v. ND Dep't of Environmental Quality, et 2020 ND 145
Docket No.: 20190095
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: An agency’s reasonable interpretation of a regulation is entitled to deference, and an agency’s decision in complex or technical matters involving agency expertise is entitled to appreciable deference.

The legislature is presumed to be aware of judicial construction of a statute, and from its failure to amend a particular statutory provision, it is presumed the legislature acquiesces in that construction.

An agency’s permitting decision is entitled to greater deference than a decision after an adjudicative proceeding, and the final permitting decision is reviewed on appeal to determine whether it is arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable.

A decision is arbitrary, capricious, or unreasonable if it is not the product of a rational mental process by which the facts and the law relied upon are considered together for the purpose of achieving a reasoned and reasonable interpretation.

State v. Pouliot 2020 ND 144
Docket No.: 20200060
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: The 2019 amendment to N.D.C.C. § 39-20-01(3)(b) limits the scope of the exclusion of evidence “to proof of refusals” in an “administrative proceeding.”

A district court’s judgment denying a motion to exclude the chemical test results in a criminal proceeding is affirmed.

Franciere v City of Mandan 2020 ND 143
Docket No.: 20200018
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A judgment granting dismissal based on lack of personal jurisdiction due to insufficient service is modified to dismiss without prejudice, and affirmed as modified.

The district court did not abuse its discretion when it denied a motion to compel discovery when the discovery requests were not related to the issue of personal jurisdiction.

Issues raised for the first time on appeal normally will not be addressed.

Truelove v. State 2020 ND 142
Docket No.: 20190388
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court’s order denying an application for post-conviction relief after finding that counsel’s representation was not ineffective was not clearly erroneous.

Kalmio v. State 2020 ND 141
Docket No.: 20200011
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Orders denying postconviction relief and a motion to reconsider are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

Dale Exploration, et al. v. Hiepler, et al. 2020 ND 140
Docket No.: 20190338
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Oil, Gas and Minerals
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: Under the law of the case doctrine, a party cannot relitigate issues on a second appeal which were resolved in the first appeal or which would have been resolved if they had been properly presented in the first appeal.

A successor trustee may be substituted as a party in an action after the death of the trustee.

The death of the settlor and trustee of a revocable trust does not preclude a district court from ordering specific performance from trust property.

State v. Blake 2020 ND 139
Docket No.: 20190394
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury verdict is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

Poole v. State 2020 ND 138
Docket No.: 20200012
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court’s order dismissing an application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4).

Stoneart OFS LLC, et al. v. WSI 2020 ND 137
Docket No.: 20200063
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court judgment affirming an administrative law judge’s order is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(5).

State v. James 2020 ND 136
Docket No.: 20190223
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: The deprivation of the right to counsel is a structural error. This Court reviews an alleged denial of a defendant’s right to counsel de novo.

Rule 11 (b)(1)(C) of the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure does not extend beyond the procedure for accepting a plea of guilty.

Rule 11(b)(1)(C) of the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure does not impose a duty on the court to inform non-indigent defendant that the court may appoint an attorney to represent him at his own expense if he was unable to retain his own attorney.

Rule 44(a)(3) of the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure permits the court to appoint an attorney to represent a non-indigent defendant at their own expense if they are unable to retain their own attorney.

A defendant knowingly and intelligently waives their right to counsel when they are informed that they will be held to the same standards as an attorney.

Objections to a search warrant cannot be raised for the first time on appeal.

When an issue is not raised in the trial court, even a constitutional issue involving a defendant’s right to confront witnesses, this Court will not address the issue on appeal unless the alleged error rises to the level of obvious error.

Brown v. Brown 2020 ND 135
Docket No.: 20190390
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A “full hearing” under N.D.C.C. § 14-07.1-02(4) requires a petitioner to prove his or her petition through testimony, rather than affidavits alone.

Oien v. State 2020 ND 134
Docket No.: 20200030
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: The denial of a defendant’s application for post-conviction relief for misuse of process is affirmed pursuant to N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (7).

State v. Bethancorth 2020 ND 133
Docket No.: 20200020
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment for criminal trespass entered after a jury verdict is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4).

Kremer v. State 2020 ND 132
Docket No.: 20190408
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: To establish prejudice under Strickland in a plea bargain situation, the petitioner must allege facts that, if proven, would support a conclusion that rejection of the plea bargain would have been rational because valid defenses existed, a suppression motion could have undermined the prosecution’s case, or there was a realistic potential for a lower sentence. A defendant’s subjective, self-serving statement that, with competent advice, he would have insisted on going to trial is insufficient to establish prejudice under Strickland in a plea bargain situation.
The provisions of N.D.R.Crim.P. 11 are mandatory, and substantial compliance is required to ensure a defendant knowingly and voluntarily enters a guilty plea. Although N.D.R.Crim.P. 11 does not require ritualistic compliance, a court must substantially comply with the rule’s procedural requirements to ensure a defendant is entering a voluntary and intelligent guilty plea.

Avery v. Boysen 2020 ND 131
Docket No.: 20190199
Filing Date: 6/29/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: A party seeking relief in motions for reconsideration and for new trial has the burden to affirmatively establish the district court abused its discretion denying the motions.
The district court has broad discretion over the presentation of evidence and conduct of a trial, in addition to whether to grant a motion for a continuance, and the court’s decision will not be reversed on appeal absent an abuse of discretion.

Nelson, et al. v. Nelson 2020 ND 130
Docket No.: 20190347
Filing Date: 6/8/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Real Property
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: This Court will dismiss an appeal as moot if the issues become academic and there is no actual controversy left to be determined.

The failure to obtain a stay pending appeal may moot issues raised on appeal.

Matter of Emelia Hirsch Trust 2020 ND 129
Docket No.: 20200047
Filing Date: 6/8/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court orders denying a motion to vacate and prohibiting a vexatious litigant from filing new or additional litigation are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(1) and (4).

Davies v. State (consolidated w/ 20190341 & 20190342) 2020 ND 128
Docket No.: 20190340
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court judgment dismissing an application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

State v. Mooney 2020 ND 127
Docket No.: 20190333
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury verdict is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

Rustad v. Baumgartner 2020 ND 126
Docket No.: 20190276
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: The “law of the case” doctrine is the principle that if an appellate court has passed on a legal question and remanded the case to the court below for further proceedings, the legal question thus determined by the appellate court will not be differently determined on a subsequent appeal in the same case where the facts remain the same. The mandate rule, a more specific application of law of the case, requires the trial court to follow pronouncements of an appellate court on legal issues in subsequent proceedings of the case and to carry the appellate court's mandate into effect according to its terms.
A parent moving to modify parenting time must show that a material change in circumstances has occurred since entry of the prior parenting time order and that modification is in the child’s best interests.
A district court’s decision on parenting time is a finding of fact, which will not be reversed on appeal unless it is clearly erroneous.

Estate of Sande 2020 ND 125
Docket No.: 20190171
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Affirmative defenses must be pled or are waived.
Whether there is an accord and satisfaction or the existence of a waiver are questions of fact.
Whether a personal representative breached a fiduciary duty is a question of fact.

State v. Powley (consolidated w/ 20190324) 2020 ND 124
Docket No.: 20190323
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Warrantless search of a parolee’s cell phone was reasonable where the probationer was incarcerated for aggravated assault, the parolee’s conditions of parole included a search clause, and law enforcement officers had reasonable suspicion parolee’s cell phone contained communications between parolee and victim of aggravated assault.
Conditions of parole may apply when a person is incarcerated until such time as parole is terminated or revoked.

State v. Selzler (consolidated w/ 20190357) 2020 ND 123
Docket No.: 20190355
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court’s order granting a motion to suppress evidence subsequent to an invalid traffic stop of a vehicle is affirmed.

State v. Stenbak 2020 ND 122
Docket No.: 20190401
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: The criminal judgment entered after a jury verdict is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

State v. McGowen 2020 ND 121
Docket No.: 20190225
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Assault
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: The district court did not abuse its discretion by granting a continuance. Evidence was sufficient to support guilty verdicts, and the district court did not err when it ordered the defendant to pay restitution for injuries caused by the defendant’s assaults.

State v. Washington 2020 ND 120
Docket No.: 20190320
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court properly denied a motion to suppress by correctly applying the remedy for unlawful official conduct in a preventing-arrest case by permitting the defendant to raise the factual defense of unlawfulness.

State v. Soucy 2020 ND 119
Docket No.: 20190329
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Judicial notice is governed by N.D.R.Ev. 201. A district court must take notice only if a party requests it and supplies the court with the necessary information.

State v. Yoney 2020 ND 118
Docket No.: 20190269
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A party may not challenge as error a ruling or other trial proceeding invited by that party. The obvious error analysis under N.D.R.Crim.P. 52(b) does not apply to errors waived through the doctrine of invited error.

This Court reviews an alleged inconsistent verdict by examining both the law of the case and the evidence to determine whether the verdict is logical and probable or whether it is perverse and clearly contrary to the evidence.

Under N.D.R.Crim.P. 52(a), an error that does not affect substantial rights is harmless and must be disregarded.

Morales v. State 2020 ND 117
Docket No.: 20200019
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Section 29-32.1-01, N.D.C.C., only permits a person who has been convicted of a crime to apply for post-conviction relief. When a criminal judgment has been reversed and remanded by this Court an individual has not been convicted of a crime and is not entitled to post-conviction relief.

Gerving v. Gerving, et al. 2020 ND 116
Docket No.: 20190253
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: In divorce cases, the district court must make an equitable property distribution.

Kling v. NDDOT 2020 ND 115
Docket No.: 20200024
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court judgment affirming an administrative suspension of driving privileges for a period of 91 days is affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(7).

Axtman v. Axtman 2020 ND 114
Docket No.: 20190300
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Divorce - Property
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(a), a district court may amend a judgment to correct a mistake resulting from an oversight or omission that causes the judgment to fail to reflect the court’s intent.
Under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(a), a district court must provide notice to the parties before it amends a judgment on its own.

Voigt v. Nelson 2020 ND 113
Docket No.: 20190285
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Paternity
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Section 8.6, N.D.R.Ct., governs parenting investigators and incorporates the code of conduct. The code of conduct provides a parenting investigator should aggressively strive to achieve professional independence and objectivity.

A judgment establishing paternity and granting primary residential responsibility and decision making authority for non-emergency healthcare decision to one parent when the parties cannot agree is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Dellinger v. Wolf, et al. 2020 ND 112
Docket No.: 20190301
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Torts (Negligence, Liab., Nuis.)
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: The Declaratory Judgment Act does not provide statutory authorization for immediate appeals of decisions concerning insurers’ duty to defend.

Thiel v. Thiel 2020 ND 111
Docket No.: 20200002
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court orders denying motions for continuance and for appointment of a parenting investigator and a divorce judgment are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4).

Sims v. Sims, et al. 2020 ND 110
Docket No.: 20190248
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: Extended parenting time with a fit non-custodial parent is routinely awarded if the child is old enough, absent a reason for denying it.

A district court’s property valuations and distribution in a divorce case are findings of fact, which will not be reversed on appeal unless they are clearly erroneous.

The district court may not order a property distribution that is inconsistent with the parties’ settlement agreement without providing an explanation for its decision.

The court may not order remedial sanctions for contempt without a finding of contempt.

Horvath v. State 2020 ND 109
Docket No.: 20190344
Filing Date: 6/2/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court’s order denying an application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Traynor Law Firm v. State, et al. 2020 ND 108
Docket No.: 20190310
Filing Date: 5/14/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court judgment determining the State is responsible to pay attorney’s fees for removal of a county officer is affirmed and awarding interest at 6% per year is reversed.

Jacobs-Raak v. Raak, et al. 2020 ND 107
Docket No.: 20190123
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Only judgments and decrees constituting a final judgment and specific orders enumerated by statute are appealable.

A two-step analysis is used to evaluate the finality of orders for review: the order or judgment must be appealable under N.D.C.C. § 28-27-02, and the requirements of N.D.R.Civ.P. 54(b), if applicable, must be met.

The district court has broad discretion in making contempt decisions, which will only be disturbed on appeal if the court abused its discretion.

The district court errs as a matter of law if it fails to comply with the child support guidelines in determining an obligor’s child support obligation.

An agreement purporting to relieve an obligor of any current or future duty of child support is void.

State v. Wayland 2020 ND 106
Docket No.: 20190274
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: Although the reason for the continuance is absent from the record, under de novo review a district court did not violate the Appellant’s right to a speedy trial by continuing the trial to a later date.

Albrecht v. Albrecht, et al. 2020 ND 105
Docket No.: 20190222
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A motion to dismiss a complaint under N.D.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the statement of the claim presented in the complaint.

A district court’s decision granting a motion to dismiss is reviewed de novo on appeal.

To have standing to litigate an issue, a party must have suffered some injury from the putatively illegal action and must assert the party’s own legal rights and interests.

Arnold, et al. v. Trident Resources, et al. 2020 ND 104
Docket No.: 20190322
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court’s order imposing sanctions for contempt did not provide a sufficient record to review the appropriateness of the sanction.

Decker v. WSI, et al. 2020 ND 103
Docket No.: 20200014
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court judgment affirming an administrative law judge’s decision denying further workers’ compensation benefits is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(5).

Hewitt v. NDDOT 2020 ND 102
Docket No.: 20190389
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Copies of official Department of Transportation records may be certified as correct by Department employees who are not acting in a director capacity.

Record custodians are not required to swear an oath of office prior to certifying copies of official records under N.D.R.Ev. 902(4).

State v. Michel 2020 ND 101
Docket No.: 20190319
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A district court’s response to a jury request for supplemental instructions is reviewed for an abuse of discretion.

The identity of the victim is not an element of theft and may be disregarded as surplusage.

A victim is entitled to be made whole through a reasonable restitution based on the entirety of his actual losses.

Dodge v. State 2020 ND 100
Docket No.: 20190286
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Whether a defendant is competent to plead guilty is a finding of fact.
When a district court is presented with conflicting expert evidence, we resolve evidentiary conflicts in favor of affirmance.
A defendant claiming he or she was incompetent to plead guilty raising ineffective assistance of counsel must demonstrate by a reasonable probability, sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome, that he or she was not competent to plead guilty.

New Freedom Center v. Job Service, et al. 2020 ND 99
Docket No.: 20190405
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Unemployment/Job Service
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Judgment affirming Job Service North Dakota's allowance of unemployment benefits is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(5) and (7).

Brossart, et al. v. Janke, et al. 2020 ND 98
Docket No.: 20190236
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Under N.D.C.C. § 28-20.1-03(2), the clerk of district court is required to mail notice of the filing of a foreign judgment to the judgment debtor.
Under N.D.C.C. § 28-20.1-03(3), a judgment creditor may not execute on a foreign judgment without first adequately complying with the notice procedures provided in N.D.C.C. § 28-20.1-03(2).
Under N.D.R.Civ.P. 33(a)(3), a judgment creditor is allowed to serve interrogatories on each judgment debtor who is jointly or severally liable for the judgment.
Under N.D.R.Civ.P. 33(a)(3), subparts to the primary question are not separate interrogatories.
Upon a finding that a claim for relief was frivolous, the district court must award reasonable attorney’s fees to the prevailing party.

State v. Kolstad 2020 ND 97
Docket No.: 20190228
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: The State may appeal from an order quashing an information or indictment.
The loss of evidence in the State’s custody may amount to a due process violation when (1) the State fails to collect evidence in the first instance; (2) the State fails to preserve evidence once it has been collected; and (3) the State suppresses evidence which has been collected and preserved.
When apprised of a discovery violation, the district court should impose the least severe sanction to rectify the prejudice.
Dismissal of an action for discovery violations is one of the most severe sanctions available to a court. Dismissal should be used sparingly and only in extreme situations and should not be used if an alternative, less drastic sanction is available and just as effective.

Rath v. Rath 2020 ND 96
Docket No.: 20190330
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court orders denying a motion for contempt and a request to reconsider are affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1 (a)(1) and (4).

State v. Helmenstein 2020 ND 95
Docket No.: 20190336
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Amended criminal judgment is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(7).

Constitutional issues raised for the first time on appeal will not be considered.

State v. Darji 2020 ND 94
Docket No.: 20190303
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury verdict is affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

C & K Consulting v. Ward County Board of Commissioners (consol w/ 20190313- 2020 ND 93
Docket No.: 20190312
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: The district court abused its discretion when it denied granting relief from a judgment dismissing a case as a sanction when the dismissal was based on a misapplication of the law.

Schwindt v. Sorel 2020 ND 92
Docket No.: 20190245
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Other factors may cause a horizontal gaze nystagmus test to be unreliable, including physiological causes for nystagmus, but those factors go to the weight of the evidence and not its admissibility.

Whether a driver refused to take a chemical test is a question of fact.

Kastet v. NDDOT 2020 ND 91
Docket No.: 20200003
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court judgment reversing an administrative law judge’s order suspending driving privileges is reversed and remanded.

WSI v. Avila, et al. 2020 ND 90
Docket No.: 20190386
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court judgment affirming an administrative law judge's order, which determined an individual is entitled to both the scheduled and whole body impairment award, is reversed and remanded under N.D.C.C. § 28-32-46, because it is not in accordance with the law.

Feltman, et al. v. Gaustad, et al. 2020 ND 89
Docket No.: 20190247
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Malpractice
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Elements of a legal malpractice claim are: 1) the existence of an attorney-client relationship, 2) a duty by the attorney to the client, 3) a breach of that duty by the attorney, and 4) damages to the client proximately caused by the breach of duty.

On review of a summary judgment, evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, and that party is given the benefit of all favorable inferences reasonably be drawn from the evidence.

State v. Burow 2020 ND 88
Docket No.: 20190382
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Assault
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Conviction of class C felony simple assault is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

State v. Dahl 2020 ND 87
Docket No.: 20190292
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: The State’s motion to terminate a pretrial diversion agreement and resume prosecution must be made within one month after expiration of the period of suspension specified in the agreement.

Interest of A.T. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2020 ND 86
Docket No.: 20200092
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Juvenile - Termination of Parental Rights
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: An order terminating father’s parental rights is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

State v. Foster 2020 ND 85
Docket No.: 20190298
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: Questions requiring the defendant to give his opinion regarding the veracity and credibility of earlier witnesses is improper.

Section 62.1-04-02(1), N.D.C.C., is a strict liability offense, punishable without regard to intent, knowledge, willfulness, or negligence.

Interest of F.M.G. (Confidential) 2020 ND 84
Docket No.: 20200094
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Mental Health
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court’s continuing treatment order is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Shadow Industries, LLP v. Hoffman, et al. 2020 ND 83
Docket No.: 20190231
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A district court erred in determining a lease was ambiguous with regard to when the term ended. A term in a lease is not ambiguous simply because it requires a future event or contingency.

Interest of M.M. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2020 ND 82
Docket No.: 20200054
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Juvenile - Termination of Parental Rights
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Judgment terminating father’s parental rights are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

Johnson v. City of Burlington 2020 ND 81
Docket No.: 20190318
Filing Date: 5/7/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: This Court’s review of the appeal from the decision of a local governing body is very limited. A city’s denial of a variance application is not arbitrary, capricious, or unreasonable when the ordinances do not provide for a variance based on the evidence presented.

State v. Craig 2020 ND 80
Docket No.: 20190282
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court did not abuse its discretion in denying a motion to withdraw a guilty plea.

Schweitzer v. Miller 2020 ND 79
Docket No.: 20190157
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A party may raise the question of subject matter jurisdiction at any time during a proceeding.
Under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, a child’s “home state” is the state where a child lived with a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the commencement of a child custody proceeding.

State v. Krogstad 2020 ND 78
Docket No.: 20190290
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: If a defendant has an opportunity to cross-examine the witness at trial, the admission of testimonial statements would not violate the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Willprecht v. Willprecht 2020 ND 77
Docket No.: 20190201
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: In divorce proceedings, if the parties do not agree on a valuation date for marital property, the valuation date is the date the parties separated or the date of the service of the summons in the action, whichever occurred first.

A district court errs as a matter of law in setting a child support obligation if it does not comply with the requirements of the child support guidelines.

A district court’s ability to award post-minority child support is limited to circumstances under which the parents have a statutory legal duty to support adult children.

A district court errs if it orders child support to equitably balance the burdens of the divorce and to reduce an income disparity between the parties.

Christianson v. NDDOT 2020 ND 76
Docket No.: 20190348
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: The Department of Transportation’s decision to suspend an individual’s driving privileges was not in accordance with the law when it was based on evidence that was inadmissible at the adjudication hearing.

Joyce v. Joyce 2020 ND 75
Docket No.: 20190224
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: A district court may require a hearing even when no party requests a hearing.
Courts do not need to take judicial notice of foreign laws on their own initiative.
Courts must take judicial notice of foreign laws once a party has pleaded or presented the foreign law or asked the court to take judicial notice of the foreign law.
For a court to take judicial notice of foreign law, the requesting party must plead or present the foreign law or specifically request the court take judicial notice of the foreign law.
Courts may inform themselves of foreign laws in any manner they deem proper and may call upon counsel to aid in obtaining foreign laws.
A district court’s finding of fact that a contract is a complete, final, and binding agreement is not clearly erroneous when the party arguing for the contract’s invalidity based on a mutual mistake presents no evidence of a mistake.

State v. West 2020 ND 74
Docket No.: 20190311
Filing Date: 4/6/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Probationers consent to reasonable warrantless searches when they submit to a search condition as part of the terms of their probation.
An individual sharing a residence with a probationer forfeits his or her ability to seek suppression of evidence obtained during a reasonable warrantless probationary search when he or she does not object at the time of the search.

North Star Mutual Insurance v. Ackerman, et al. 2020 ND 73
Docket No.: 20190135
Filing Date: 3/25/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Torts (Negligence, Liab., Nuis.)
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Under the concurrent cause doctrine, an insurance policy provides coverage for liability when both a covered risk and an excluded risk contribute to the accident.

Interest of A.P.D.S.P.-G. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2020 ND 72
Docket No.: 20200015
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Juvenile - Termination of Parental Rights
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A juvenile court does not have an obligation to ensure a party’s presence. Under N.D.R.Juv.P. 10(a)(3), a parent of a child must be present unless excused by the court.

Matter of Hogen Trust B 2020 ND 71
Docket No.: 20190240
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A district court may clarify its own previous order. Due process is an opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and meaningful manner and is complied with if the party has an opportunity, but argues other issues. A party that does not raise an issue in the district court cannot argue the issue for the first time on appeal.

Martodam v. Martodam 2020 ND 70
Docket No.: 20180432
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: Interlocutory orders in an action are merged into the final judgment and may be reviewed on appeal of that judgment. A final judgment supersedes an interim order’s parenting provisions, which are by nature temporary.

A district court must award primary residential responsibility in light of the child’s best interests, considering all the relevant statutory best-interest factors. A court’s decisions on residential responsibility and parenting time present findings of fact, which will not be reversed unless clearly erroneous.

A district court clearly errs in granting parenting time subject to a minor child’s right to decide whether to allow that parenting time.

A decision whether to admit or exclude evidence will not be reversed unless the district court abused its discretion.

The district court has broad discretion in making contempt decisions.

State v. Cook 2020 ND 69
Docket No.: 20190305
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: In determining whether the moving party has established a prima facie case of an illegal seizure, a district court may consider evidence already in the record.

A stop may be prolonged only if the officer has reasonable suspicion to justify detaining the individual for inquiries unrelated to the stop.

State v. Eggleston 2020 ND 68
Docket No.: 20190214
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: The district court did not err in dismissing the defendant’s motion for an acquittal because there was sufficient evidence for the jury to convict defendant and for the jury to conclude he was not acting in self-defense.

The district court imposed an illegal sentence when it referenced an incorrect life table to compute the defendant’s remaining life expectancy.

Lakeview Excavating, Inc. v. Dickey County, et al. 2020 ND 67
Docket No.: 20190195
Filing Date: 3/19/2020
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: Determining when a cause of action accrues is usually a question of fact, but it becomes a question of law when the material facts are undisputed. Under the discovery rule the accrual of a claim is postponed until the plaintiff knew, or with the exercise of reasonable diligence should have known, of the wrongful act and its resulting injury.

A contract’s language will govern its interpretation if the language is clear and explicit.

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