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1401 - 1450 of 12359 results

Interest of A.G. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2021 ND 67
Docket No.: 20210075
Filing Date: 4/20/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Juvenile - Termination of Parental Rights
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Juvenile court order terminating parental rights is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

State v. Rennie 2021 ND 66
Docket No.: 20200307
Filing Date: 4/14/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: The district court did not abuse its discretion by not dismissing the case for failure to timely produce discovery materials.

Interest of F.M.G. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2021 ND 65
Docket No.: 20210087
Filing Date: 4/14/2021
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).

Interest of S.R. (CONFIDENTIAL)(consolidated w/20200215) 2021 ND 64
Docket No.: 20200214
Filing Date: 4/7/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Juvenile Law
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A juvenile court’s findings of continued deprivation and orders keeping two children in the custody of Three Rivers Human Service Zone are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Kaspari v. Kaspari 2021 ND 63
Docket No.: 20200258
Filing Date: 4/5/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Divorce - Property
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Under N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1(1), an award of spousal support must be for “a limited period of time.” An award of spousal support “until death or remarriage” does not comply with N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1(1) because it is indefinite and lacks a fixed duration.

Great Plains Royalty Corp. v. Earl Schwartz Co., et al. 2021 ND 62
Docket No.: 20200133
Filing Date: 4/5/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Oil, Gas and Minerals
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Standing is the concept used to determine whether a party is sufficiently affected to ensure a justiciable controversy exists.

The law of the case doctrine precludes parties from relitigating issues resolved in a prior appeal or issues that would have been resolved had they been properly presented.

Collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion, forecloses relitigation of issues that were decided in a prior action or by necessary implication must have been litigated and decided.

When the district court’s rationale is unclear, remand is appropriate.

Slander of title requires evidence that the defendant acted with malice.

Conversion and unjust enrichment are distinct causes of action.

State v. Bee 2021 ND 61
Docket No.: 20200261
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, § 8, of the North Dakota Constitution protect individuals in their houses against unreasonable searches and seizures. But a warrantless search is not unreasonable if the search of the home falls under one of the exceptions to the warrant requirement.

When no exception exists, any evidence seized is inadmissible under the exclusionary rule and must be suppressed.

State v. Glasser (consolidated w/20200221) 2021 ND 60
Docket No.: 20200220
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: Any attempt by the trial court to amend or modify a final judgment is void unless it is made upon grounds provided by statute or by the Rules of Criminal Procedure for correcting or amending a judgment.

Command Center v. Renewable Resources, et al. 2021 ND 59
Docket No.: 20200017
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Debtor/Creditor
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: In an appeal from a bench trial, the trial court’s findings of fact are reviewed under the clearly erroneous standard and its conclusions of law are fully reviewable.

In a bench trial, the trial court decides credibility issues and the supreme court on appeal does not second-guess the trial court on its credibility determinations.

A trial court’s decision to admit or exclude evidence will not be reversed on appeal unless it has abused its discretion.

Business records may be properly admitted into evidence under the business records exception to the hearsay rule.

Indemnity is an equitable remedy which permits a party to recover reimbursement from another for the discharge of a liability that, as between the two parties, should have been discharged by the other.

Somerset Court, et al. v. Burgum, et al. 2021 ND 58
Docket No.: 20200292
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A party waives an issue by not providing supporting arguments, reasoning, or citations to relevant legal authority.

A party abandons an argument by failing to raise it in the party’s appellate brief.

Ryberg, et al. v. Landsiedel 2021 ND 56
Docket No.: 20200189
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Personal Injury
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A settlement agreement is a contract between parties, and thus contract law applies.

The law looks with favor upon compromise and settlement of controversies between parties, and where the settlement is fairly entered into, it should be considered as disposing of all disputed matters which were contemplated by the parties at the time of the settlement.

When a settlement is fairly made before trial, it takes on the character of a contract between the parties and is final and conclusive, and based on good consideration.

Courts will not enforce a contract which is vague, indefinite, or uncertain, nor will they make a new contract for the parties. An oral contract can be enforced only when the parties have agreed on its essential terms.

State v. Richter 2021 ND 55
Docket No.: 20200351
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Attempted promotion of obscenity to minors is not a cognizable offense.

State v. Neugebauer 2021 ND 54
Docket No.: 20200278
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: Once a judgment is final, the district court generally loses jurisdiction to alter, amend, or modify that judgment. Unless grounds are provided by statute or by the Rules of Criminal Procedure for correcting or amending a judgment, any attempt by the district court to amend or modify a final judgment is void.

Any party who has timely served and filed a brief requests oral argument, the request must be granted. If a trial court errs in denying a party’s motion without oral argument, the remedy is a remand to allow for oral argument.

Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Co. v. Bear Creek Gravel, et al. 2021 ND 53
Docket No.: 20200170
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Insurance
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Whether a vehicle has been furnished for regular use is a conclusion of fact.

A finding of fact will not be overturned on appeal unless clearly erroneous.

Reasonable time and place restrictions on the use of a vehicle could lead to a conclusion the vehicle was not furnished for a person’s regular use.

State v. Borland 2021 ND 52
Docket No.: 20200053
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: A defendant waives the constitutional protection against being placed in double jeopardy after a verdict or judgment against them is set aside at their own instance, either by motion in trial court or upon successful appeal.

The circumstances under which such a defendant may invoke the bar of double jeopardy in a second effort to try him are limited to those cases in which the conduct giving rise to the successful motion for a mistrial was intended to provoke the defendant into moving for a mistrial.

When analyzing a constitutional speedy trial claim, this Court considers the length of the delay, the reason for the delay, the accused’s assertion of the right to a speedy trial, and the prejudice to the accused.

Tebay v. State (consolidated w/ 20200317) 2021 ND 51
Docket No.: 20200316
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
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)(6).

Gerving v. Gerving 2021 ND 50
Docket No.: 20200291
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

State v. Walbert 2021 ND 49
Docket No.: 20200197
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Courts possess broad power to control their courtrooms, minimize disruptive behavior, and maintain security.

Restricting movement in and out of a courtroom during testimony of a child witness as an attempt to minimize disruptions did not constitute a closure but instead was within the court’s managerial authority.

Gil v. WSI 2021 ND 48
Docket No.: 20200253
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Timely filing a notice of appeal is jurisdictional and procedural rules may not be used to enlarge periods of time conferring jurisdiction that are definitely fixed by statute.

Saucedo v. State 2021 ND 47
Docket No.: 20200265
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: An order denying an application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(7).

State v. Stands 2021 ND 46
Docket No.: 20200179
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Sufficient competent evidence existed to show a defendant consented to a search of his person when he shrugged, mumbled, nodded, and lifted his hands.

Requests for consent to search during a traffic stop are permissible so long as they do not prolong and measurably extend the duration of the stop.

An officer may extend or expand the scope of a traffic stop if reasonable suspicion exists or the encounter becomes consensual.

Campbell v. State 2021 ND 45
Docket No.: 20200227
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: The issue of ineffective assistance of counsel presents a mixed question of law and fact and is fully reviewable on appeal.

Ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims are ordinarily unsuited to summary disposition without an evidentiary hearing.

Solberg v. McKennett 2021 ND 44
Docket No.: 20200207
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Determining when a cause of action accrues is normally 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 party alleging fraud must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud.

Breeze v. NDDOT 2021 ND 43
Docket No.: 20200267
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: An officer must be in an immediate pursuit of a person who is endeavoring to avoid arrest for hot pursuit to apply.

State v. Moore (consolidated w/20200081 & 20200082) 2021 ND 42
Docket No.: 20200080
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A district court should not automatically approve public trial waivers without considering the broader interests in open courts and public trials by conducting pre-closure Waller analysis. A defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a public trial may be waived if the record reflects a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver. A defendant’s failure to object or acquiescence to a trial closure without a knowing, intelligent, voluntary waiver will be reviewed on appeal as a forfeited error subject only to obvious error review.

A district court may conduct proceedings in chambers in some circumstances, including temporary use of a courtroom as if in chambers. But it is the type of proceeding and not the location of the proceeding that determines the need for the Waller analysis. Jury selection, including proceedings relating to juror questionnaires and challenges for cause, are part of the criminal trial and generally must be held in open court consistent with the Sixth Amendment right to a public trial.

A court’s closure of trial proceedings without having obtained a knowing, intelligent, voluntary waiver and without having considered the Waller factors is obvious error.

A speculative risk to a witness’s counseling relationship with the victim is insufficient standing alone to satisfy the Waller requirement for an overriding interest.

State v. Martinez 2021 ND 42
Docket No.: 20190407
Filing Date: 3/24/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A district court should not automatically approve public trial waivers without considering the broader interests in open courts and public trials by conducting pre-closure Waller analysis. A defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a public trial may be waived if the record reflects a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver. A defendant’s failure to object or acquiescence to a trial closure without a knowing, intelligent, voluntary waiver will be reviewed on appeal as a forfeited error subject only to obvious error review.

A district court may conduct proceedings in chambers in some circumstances, including temporary use of a courtroom as if in chambers. But it is the type of proceeding and not the location of the proceeding that determines the need for the Waller analysis. Jury selection, including proceedings relating to juror questionnaires and challenges for cause, are part of the criminal trial and generally must be held in open court consistent with the Sixth Amendment right to a public trial.

A court’s closure of trial proceedings without having obtained a knowing, intelligent, voluntary waiver and without having considered the Waller factors is obvious error.

A speculative risk to a witness’s counseling relationship with the victim is insufficient standing alone to satisfy the Waller requirement for an overriding interest.

State v. Molina 2021 ND 41
Docket No.: 20200247
Filing Date: 3/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court order denying a petition for writ of prohibition is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4).

Interest of L.T.D. (CONFIDENTIAL) (consolidated w/20210035) 2021 ND 40
Docket No.: 20210034
Filing Date: 3/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Juvenile - Termination of Parental Rights
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: An appeal from a juvenile court order terminating parental rights is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4) and (7).

WSI v. Sandberg, et al. 2021 ND 39
Docket No.: 20200174
Filing Date: 3/3/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: Claimants must prove by a preponderance of evidence that they have sustained a compensable injury and are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.

A claimant must prove that the condition for which benefits are sought is “causally related” to a work injury. To establish a “causal connection,” a claimant must demonstrate the claimant’s employment was a substantial contributing factor to the injury and need not show employment was the sole cause of the injury.

A compensable injury must be established by medical evidence supported by objective medical findings, which may include a physician’s medical opinion based on an examination, a patient’s medical history, and the physician’s education and experience.

Lund v. Swanson, et al. 2021 ND 38
Docket No.: 20200147
Filing Date: 3/3/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: A settlement agreement is a contract between parties, and thus contract law applies.

An agreement to transfer oil interests for valuable consideration is an agreement for the sale of real property, or of an interest therein, under the statute of frauds, N.D.C.C. § 9-06-04(3).

Subsection 9-06-04(3), N.D.C.C., provides that an agreement for the sale of real property, if made by an agent of the party sought to be charged, is invalid unless the authority of the agent is in writing subscribed by the party sought to be charged.

To take a contract out of the statute of frauds, the party seeking to enforce the oral contract must establish part performance that is not only consistent with, but that is consistent only with, the existence of the alleged oral contract.

Cases accepting the doctrine of part performance have recognized three major categories of acts by the purchaser that may make an oral contract enforceable: paying the contract price, taking possession of the property, and making improvements.

A party missing out on the benefit of their contractual bargain does not promote an injustice or perpetrate a fraud as to require an agreement to be removed from the statute of frauds.

Friesz v. State 2021 ND 37
Docket No.: 20200169
Filing Date: 3/3/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: In a post-conviction relief proceeding, a petitioner is entitled to a fourteen-day window to respond to a request for dismissal of their petition for post-conviction relief.

WSI v. Cherokee Services Group, et al. 2021 ND 36
Docket No.: 20200166
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Tribal sovereign immunity protects Indian tribes against lawsuits, even ones brought by the State.

Extension of tribal sovereign immunity to businesses relies on a test to determine if they qualify as arms of the tribe.

A manager or governor of a limited liability company cannot be held liable under N.D.C.C. § 65-04-26.1(1) for unpaid premiums and reimbursements when the limited liability company itself is not liable for the amounts.

Workforce Safety and Insurance has no statutory authority to order an insurance company cease and desist from writing coverage in North Dakota.

AE2S Construction v. Hellervik Oilfield Technologies, et al. 2021 ND 35
Docket No.: 20200180
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: An appearance for purposes of N.D.R.Civ.P. 55(a) is any response sufficient to give the plaintiff or his or her attorney notice of an intent to contest the claim.

A party’s disregard of service of process does not constitute mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b)(1).

Atkins v. State 2021 ND 34
Docket No.: 20200172
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: If an applicant files a N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b) motion for relief following an order denying post-conviction relief, the motion will be treated as another post-conviction relief application and will not toll the time for appealing the order denying post-conviction relief.

An applicant for post-conviction relief may not allege ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel.

Orwig v. Orwig (consolidated w/20200124) 2021 ND 33
Docket No.: 20200123
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Divorce - Property
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: In a court trial, any error in admitting a deposition is harmless unless the deposition testimony induced the court to make an essential finding which would not otherwise have been made or otherwise affected a party’s substantial rights.

A district court’s property valuation in a divorce case is not clearly erroneous if it is within the range of evidence presented.

An award of attorney’s fees must generally be supported by evidence upon which the court can determine whether the requested fees are reasonable and legitimate.

Paulson v. Paulson 2021 ND 32
Docket No.: 20200163
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A district court’s decision on whether to vacate a divorce judgment under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b) will not be overturned on appeal absent an abuse of discretion. A party seeking to vacate a divorce judgment entered pursuant to a settlement agreement under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b) must demonstrate extraordinary circumstances justifying relief. When considering whether a divorce judgment based on a settlement agreement should be vacated, the district court should inquire: (1) whether the agreement is free from mistake, duress, menace, fraud, or undue influence; and (2) whether the agreement is unconscionable. The party seeking relief from judgment based on fraud has the burden to establish fraud by clear and convincing evidence. Unconscionability may be considered as a ground for relief under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b)(6). To vacate a divorce judgment as unconscionable, there must be a showing of both procedural and substantive unconscionability. A disparate settlement is not necessarily substantively unconscionable, particularly in a short-term marriage

Burr v. N.D. State Board of Dental Examiners 2021 ND 31
Docket No.: 20200219
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Personal Injury
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: The test we apply when determining governmental liability and discretionary acts distinguishes between immune discretionary acts and non-immune ministerial acts. In examining the nature of the challenged conduct, the first inquiry a court must consider is whether the action is a matter of choice for the acting employee. Even if ‘the challenged conduct involves an element of judgment or choice, the second inquiry a court must consider is whether that judgment or choice is of the kind that the discretionary function exception was designed to shield.

Oden v. Minot Builders Supply, et al. 2021 ND 30
Docket No.: 20200187
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: Foreign judgments are not entitled to full faith and credit under certain circumstances such as when the rendering court lacks jurisdiction.

Res judicata, or claim preclusion, prevents relitigation of claims that were raised, or could have been raised, in prior actions between the same parties or their privies even if the subsequent claim is based on a different legal theory.

The court was not precluded from giving another judgment res judicata effect because the judgment was final and remained final regardless of a pending appeal.

Grand Prairie Agriculture v. Pelican Township Board of Supervisors 2021 ND 29
Docket No.: 20200226
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Administrative Proceeding
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A township’s decision on a petition for approval of a proposed site for an animal feeding operation may be reversed on appeal if the township misinterprets or misapplies the law.

Under N.D.C.C. § 58-03-11.1, townships only have authority to regulate the setback distance between an animal feeding operation and the nearest residence, building used for nonfarming or nonranching purposes, or land zoned for residential, commercial, or recreational purposes.

Whetsel v. State 2021 ND 28
Docket No.: 20200262
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: Once the State has responded to a petition for post-conviction relief, sua sponte summary disposition by the court is no longer available, and the State is required to move for summary disposition.

A petitioner is entitled to a fourteen-day window to respond to a request for dismissal of their petition for post-conviction relief.

Thompson-Widmer v. Larson, et al. 2021 ND 27
Docket No.: 20200173
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: A publication or communication must be false to be defamatory.

Fulfilling an open records request is a privileged communication and not subject to liability for defamation.

McClintock v. NDDOT 2021 ND 26
Docket No.: 20200164
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: McEvers, Lisa K. Fair

Highlight: To facilitate compliance with statutory requirements and the foundational element requiring a test be fairly administered, the state toxicologist has established approved methods for administering chemical breath tests.

The approved method for the Intoxilyzer 8000 requires that the device must be installed by a field inspector prior to use.

State v. Spillum 2021 ND 25
Docket No.: 20200156
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: If a motion for judgment of acquittal was made at trial on specified grounds, and those grounds did not include the claim on appeal, the defendant does not preserve that issue for this Court’s review.

The existence of an arrest warrant does not convert a noncustodial situation into a custodial one.

Davis v. Davis, et al. 2021 ND 24
Docket No.: 20200162
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Failure to provide a non-moving party the allotted time to respond under N.D.R.Ct. 3.2(a)(2) is a misapplication of law.

Judgment may be overturned under Rule 60(b) where a motion is promptly made, the grounds of the motion satisfy the requirements of Rule 60(b), and an answer that appears to assert a meritorious defense is presented.

Stoddard v. Singer 2021 ND 23
Docket No.: 20200157
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A district court’s findings of fact will not be reversed on appeal unless clearly erroneous.

District court findings based on assessment of witness credibility are given deference.

Upon the showing of a prima facie case under a psychological parent claim, the movant is entitled to an evidentiary proceeding.

A district court’s decision whether to appoint a parenting investigator is discretionary and will not be reversed absent an abuse of discretion.

The standard of review in determining whether a district court erred in delaying a hearing on an emergency motion under Rule 8.2, N.D.R.Ct., is abuse of discretion.

Estate of Johnson 2021 ND 22
Docket No.: 20200142
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: Jensen, Jon J.

Highlight: In an informal, unsupervised probate, an order settling all claims of one claimant is final, even if there are pending claims by other claimants.

This Court does not consider questions not presented to the trial court nor arguments inadequately articulated, supported, and briefed.

Swanson v. Larson, et al. 2021 ND 0216
Docket No.: 20210125
Filing Date: 12/9/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Generally, when a contract is silent as to its duration, it is terminable at will by either party.

Conduct establishing a breach of contract does not subject the defendant to a negligence action, unless the defendant’s conduct also establishes a breach of an independent duty that does not arise from the contract.

Swanson v. Larson, et al. 2021 ND 0216
Docket No.: 20210125
Filing Date: 12/9/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

State v. Youngbird 2021 ND 21
Docket No.: 20200167
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Tufte, Jerod E.

Highlight: A district court has jurisdiction to amend a criminal judgment to include restitution when the State files the motion to amend within the time limit imposed by the court during sentencing.

When a defendant and the State enter into a plea agreement in which the prosecuting attorney agrees to recommend a particular sentence, that agreement does not resolve restitution and a restitution hearing must be held.

Johnson v. Menard 2021 ND 19
Docket No.: 20200126
Filing Date: 2/18/2021
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Personal Injury
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: During trial, a party can make a motion for judgment as a matter of law alleging insufficient evidence under N.D.R.Civ.P. 50(a). However, after the jury returns its verdict the party must renew the motion under N.D.R.Civ.P. 50(b) to preserve the sufficiency of the evidence issue for review on appeal.

After removing a small claims court action to district court, amending the complaint does not preclude an award of attorney’s fees under N.D.C.C. § 27-08.1-04.

A court does not abuse its discretion when it uses an itemized bill to award a party attorney’s fees under N.D.C.C. § 27-08.1-04.

Under N.D.C.C. § 27-08.1-04, a prevailing plaintiff should be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees for the district court proceedings and for a successful appeal.

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