Opinions

Matter of O.H.W. (Confidential) 2009 ND 194
Docket No.: 20090136
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Individual
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: An alleged ethical violation by a testifying psychologist affects the weight and not the admissibility accorded the psychologist's opinion.
The admissibility of a psychologist's testimony is controlled by the rules governing the admission of expert opinion testimony.

Dunn v. Dunn 2009 ND 193
Docket No.: 20090127
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A parent with joint custody who wishes to relocate to another state with the children must make a motion for change of custody and a motion to relocate with the child.
A party seeking a change in custody more than two years since the prior custody order was entered must show there has been a material change in circumstances of the child or the parties and modification is necessary to serve the best interests of the children.
A parent's relocation to another state may constitute a material change in circumstances.

Maisey v. N.D. Department of Transportation 2009 ND 191
Docket No.: 20090194
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: Checking boxes on the bottom of the report and notice form, without providing a more detailed written explanation, can be sufficient to show probable cause to believe a driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.
A driver is afforded a reasonable opportunity to consult with a lawyer when an officer gave him the lawyer's home telephone number and the driver called the lawyer and left a message.
When a driver creates ambiguity regarding whether he or she will submit to chemical testing, the driver cannot complain about any reasonable interpretation of the driver's words and actions by the officer.
To cure a prior refusal to submit to chemical testing, a driver must make a clearly articulated reconsideration.

State v. Kurtenbach (cross-reference w/20080338 through 20080340) 2009 ND 190
Docket No.: 20090113
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered upon guilty pleas to one count of forgery and two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(7).

Lemer v. N.D. Workforce Safety & Insurance, et al. 2009 ND 188
Docket No.: 20090158
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A district court judgment affirming an order of Workforce Safety & Insurance is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(5).

Ernst v. State 2009 ND 187
Docket No.: 20090192
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court's order denying application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(1),(6), and (7).

State v. Johnson 2009 ND 186
Docket No.: 20090147
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Felony
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury convicted the defendant of criminal trespass is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3) and (7).

Matter of E.W.F. (CONFIDENTIAL) 2009 ND 185
Docket No.: 20090082
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Individual
Author:

Highlight: Order denying petition for discharge from commitment as a sexually dangerous individual summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (7).

AmeriFirst Home Improvement Finance Co. v. Kile, et. al 2009 ND 184
Docket No.: 20090187
Filing Date: 11/17/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Debtor/Creditor
Author:

Highlight: District court judgment ordering payment of a contractual debt is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (6).

Thompson, et al. v. Schmitz, et al. 2009 ND 183
Docket No.: 20080191
Filing Date: 10/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: Although a pleading may be impliedly amended by the introduction of evidence which varies the theory of the case and which is not objected to on the grounds it is not within the issues in the pleadings, consent to try an issue outside the pleadings cannot be implied from evidence which is relevant to the pleadings but which also bears on an unpleaded issue.
Equity regards as done that which ought to have been done.
Corporate assets belong to the corporation, not to the shareholders.

State v. Ness 2009 ND 182
Docket No.: 20090046
Filing Date: 10/15/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: To have standing to raise a vagueness challenge, a litigant must almost always demonstrate that the law in question is vague as applied to his own conduct, without regard to its potentially vague application in other circumstances.
A court may refuse to give jury instructions that are irrelevant or inapplicable.
The opportunity to cross-examine a witness is the primary mode of safeguarding a defendant's confrontation rights, but the scope of the cross-examination is in the court's discretion.

Martin v. N.D. Department of Transportation 2009 ND 181
Docket No.: 20090105
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Police checkpoints are not per se unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution or Article I, Section 8 of the North Dakota Constitution. A checkpoint seizure is unconstitutional if it is unreasonable.
The reasonableness of a checkpoint seizure is determined by balancing three prongs: the gravity of the public concerns served by the seizure, the degree to which the seizure advances the public interest and the severity of the interference with individual liberty. The weight given each prong is based on its underlying facts, and the underlying facts are viewed within the totality of the circumstances.
The gravity of the public concern addressed by a checkpoint seizure is measured by the magnitude of the societal harm caused by a specific problem.
The degree to which a checkpoint advances the public interest calls for a searching examination of the checkpoint's effectiveness.
The severity of interference with individual liberty caused by a checkpoint seizure is measured by gauging the objective and subjective levels of intrusion on individual motorists. A checkpoint's objective level of intrusion is measured by the duration of the seizure and the intensity of the investigation. A checkpoint's subjective level of intrusion is measured by the fear and surprise engendered in law-abiding motorists by the nature of the stop.

Hager, et al. v. City of Devils Lake 2009 ND 180
Docket No.: 20090050
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Real Property
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: Dismissal of a claim or action without prejudice has no res judicata effect.
Whether the injury was permanent or temporary is the determinative factor in commencing the statute of limitations in a damage action for flooding caused by construction.
When water is diverted onto property by construction or operation of a permanent structure, there is only one cause of action, successive suits may not be maintained, and the statute of limitations begins to run when harm first occurs.
The six-year statute of limitations for contract actions under N.D.C.C. 28-01-16(1) governs inverse condemnation claims brought under N.D. Const. art. I, sec. 16.
An inverse condemnation action accrues on the date the property is taken.
Under North Dakota law, a license is revocable.
An easement by estoppel may be created when (1) a landowner permits another to use land under circumstances in which it was reasonable to foresee that the user would substantially change position believing that the permission would not be revoked, (2) the user substantially changed position in reasonable reliance on that belief, and (3) injustice can be avoided only by establishment of a servitude.

Spitzer v. Bartelson 2009 ND 179
Docket No.: 20090124
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: In a claim for reformation of a written contract, courts may admit parol evidence to determine whether a mutual mistake exists sufficient to support reformation.
A district court's finding that a plaintiff failed to prove a mutual mistake by clear and convincing evidence will not be overturned unless clearly erroneous.

State v. Stridiron (consolidated w/20080331) 2009 ND 178
Docket No.: 20080286
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Theft
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Criminal judgments for robbery are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(3).

Interest of O.F., a child (confidential) 2009 ND 177
Docket No.: 20090137
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Juvenile Law
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: A defendant claiming a double jeopardy bears the burden of proving each element of former jeopardy.
A juvenile's double jeopardy rights are not violated when the facts used to impose a sanction by a juvenile drug court are later used to support an adjudication of delinquency.
Procedural rules are not adopted by opinion in litigated appeals.

State v. McLaren 2009 ND 176
Docket No.: 20090125
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: Reasonable suspicion to stop a vehicle exists when an officer observes a vehicle displaying expired registration tabs, license plates, and a temporary registration certificate.

Estate of Schiermeister (Consolidated w/20090169) 2009 ND 175
Docket No.: 20080287
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Orders directing a final accounting and distribution of an estate are summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

State v. O'Toole 2009 ND 174
Docket No.: 20090034
Filing Date: 10/13/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: There is insufficient evidence to support a conviction only when no rational fact finder could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and giving the prosecution the benefit of all inferences reasonably drawn in its favor.
Words in a statute are given their plain, ordinary, and commonly understood meaning, unless they are specifically defined in the code or the drafters clearly intended otherwise.
A district court does not err in refusing to give a jury instruction that is irrelevant or inapplicable.

Schlosser v. N.D. Dep't. of Transp. 2009 ND 173
Docket No.: 20090156
Filing Date: 11/19/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: To admit a blood alcohol test report in an administrative proceeding to revoke an individual's driver's license, the documents and testimony presented must show scrupulous compliance with the methods approved by the State Toxicologist.

Estate of Dionne 2009 ND 172
Docket No.: 20090016
Filing Date: 9/28/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Probate, Wills, Trusts
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: The circumstances constituting fraud must be stated in a complaint with particularity.
A contract is ambiguous when rational arguments can be made in support of contrary positions as to the meaning of the language in the contract, and if a contract is ambiguous, extrinsic evidence may be considered to clarify the parties' intent.

Schleuter v. Northern Plains Ins., et al. 2009 ND 171
Docket No.: 20090060
Filing Date: 9/23/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Insurance
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: When a single-vehicle accident occurs in this state but the injured insured is a resident of another state, the insurance policy was purchased from a company based in the other state and not doing business in this state, and all but the initial treatment occurred in the other state, the laws of the other state will apply in interpreting the insurance policy.
Coverage includes more than dollar limits.
Under North Dakota law, a household exclusion in a motor-vehicle insurance policy is void.

LaRocque v. State 2009 ND 170
Docket No.: 20090039
Filing Date: 9/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Post-Conviction Relief
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: District court order denying application for post-conviction relief is summarily affirmed under N.D.R. App. P. 35.1(a)(2) and (4).

State v. Witzke 2009 ND 169
Docket No.: 20090068
Filing Date: 9/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: A criminal judgment entered after a jury convicted the defendant of violating a disorderly conduct restraining order is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(4) and (7).

State v. Adams 2009 ND 168
Docket No.: 20090101
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: The right of appeal is governed by statute, and if there is no statutory basis for an appeal, the lack of jurisdiction will be noted and the appeal dismissed.
There is no statutory right to appeal an order entering a conditional plea of guilty when no judgment of conviction or other final order has been entered.

State v. Johnson 2009 ND 167
Docket No.: 20090115
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: If a person ambiguously responds to a request to submit to a chemical test, the person suffers the consequences of that ambiguity.
An affirmative refusal to submit to a chemical test must be clear and unequivocal.

Kambeitz, et al. v. Acuity Ins. Co. 2009 ND 166
Docket No.: 20090059
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Insurance
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: Although the failure to plead an affirmative defense generally results in waiver of the defense, amendments to the pleadings are to be freely given when justice so requires.
An insurance company cannot avoid coverage under any compulsory automobile liability insurance policy provisions after an accident when a claim against the policy is made by an injured innocent third party.
Fraud, intentional and material misrepresentation, concealment, and collusion are all generally questions of fact for the trier of fact.

State v. Vandehoven 2009 ND 165
Docket No.: 20080308
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - DUI/DUS/APC
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: The purpose of N.D.R.Crim.P. 11(b)(1) is to ensure the defendant understands the constitutional rights which are waived by entry of a guilty plea, to ensure a knowing and intelligent waiver of the right to counsel, and to ensure the defendant understands the maximum possible punishment and any applicable mandatory minimum punishment so he can make a knowing and intelligent decision whether to plead guilty.
If no plea agreement has been reached by the parties, N.D.R.Crim.P. 11(c)(1) creates a bright-line rule which prohibits the court from participating in any discussion of a plea agreement.

Tweeten v. Tweeten 2009 ND 164
Docket No.: 20090033
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: A husband and wife's decision to transfer separately owned property to themselves, as husband and wife, as joint tenants is a significant legal act, which may make a premarital agreement governing the distribution of that property inapplicable.

State v. Schmeets 2009 ND 163
Docket No.: 20080225
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: To admit evidence of a defendant's prior convictions to establish an object is drug paraphernalia, a court must balance whether the probative value of the evidence outweighs the unfair prejudice to the defendant.

Wells Fargo Bank v. Horob, et al. 2009 ND 161
Docket No.: 20090066
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author:

Highlight: District court order declaring a default judgment entered by a Nebraska court is entitled to full faith and credit and enforceable in this state is summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Interest of S.Z. (Confidential) 2009 ND 160
Docket No.: 20090252
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Mental Health
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Orders requiring treatment and medication at the North Dakota State Hospital summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Matter of Hicks 2009 ND 159
Docket No.: 20090058
Filing Date: 9/16/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Individual
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Civil commitment of a sexually dangerous person summarily affirmed under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2).

Disciplinary Board v. Fisher (Cross-ref. w/ 20070343, 20070344, & 20080198) 2009 ND 158
Docket No.: 20090165
Filing Date: 9/4/2009
Case Type: Discipline - Attorney - Original Proceeding
Author: Per Curiam

Highlight: Suspension of lawyer ordered.

Industrial Contractors, Inc. v. Workforce Safety & Insurance, et al. 2009 ND 157
Docket No.: 20080275
Filing Date: 9/4/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Workers Compensation
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: Courts exercise limited review in appeals from administrative agency decisions under the Administrative Agencies Practice Act.
An administrative agency's construction of a statute in administering the law is entitled to deference when that interpretation does not contradict clear and unambiguous statutory language.
The word "or" is disjunctive in nature and ordinarily indicates an alternative between different things or actions, and terms or phrases separated by "or" have separate and independent significance.
Failure of participating employer to give written notice or to properly post notice as required under the relevant statute invalidates the employer's designated medical provider selection and allows the employee to make the initial selection of a medical provider.

State v. Boyle 2009 ND 156
Docket No.: 20090020
Filing Date: 8/27/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Misc. Misdemeanor
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: A restraining order may restrict an individual's constitutional rights, including restricting the right to certain communication or to be in certain places.
The evidence is insufficient to support a criminal conviction when no rational factfinder, viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Frueh v. Frueh 2009 ND 155
Docket No.: 20080231
Filing Date: 8/27/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Child Support
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: A court may modify a prior custody order two years after a prior order establishing custody is entered, if there has been a material change in circumstances and the modification is in the child's best interests.
When applying the best interest factors to decide whether modifying custody is in a child's best interests, it is improper for the court to consider the amount of a parent's child support obligation when the support amount was calculated using the child support guidelines.
A mature child's preference may be a significant factor in deciding whether a custody modification is necessary to serve a child's best interests.
District courts have discretion regarding the examination of witnesses, including child witnesses in custody proceedings.

Pearson v. Pearson 2009 ND 154
Docket No.: 20080299
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Divorce - Property
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: An award of spousal support is finding of fact which will not be set aside on appeal unless clearly erroneous.
We will not set aside the trial court's determinations on property division or spousal support for failure to explicitly state the basis for its findings if that basis is reasonably discernable by deduction or inference.
We remand for further proceedings when permanent spousal support is requested but not awarded and the district court does not articulate why an award was not made.

Beeter, et al. v. Sawyer Disposal 2009 ND 153
Docket No.: 20080346
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Contracts
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: If a covenant contained in a deed does not directly benefit the land, the covenant is personal and does not run with the land.
A covenant to pay for land in a certain way is generally a personal covenant and does not run with the land.
The parties' intent, no matter how clearly expressed, cannot make a personal covenant run with the land and bind subsequent purchasers.

Matter of Vantreece (Cross-Ref. w/20080004) 2009 ND 152
Docket No.: 20090040
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Individual
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Expert testimony explicitly opining that an alleged sexually dangerous individual has serious difficultly controlling his or her behavior is not necessary to commit a person as a sexually dangerous individual.
A person may be committed as a sexually dangerous individual if there is proof of difficulty in controlling behavior by expert evidence in the record from which the district court can conclude the individual has serious difficulty in controlling his or her behavior.

State v. Procive 2009 ND 151
Docket No.: 20080269
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Assault
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: Under N.D.R.Ev. 401, 402, and 403, a district court has broad discretion in admitting or excluding evidence.
Under N.D.R.Ev. 403, relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury, or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.
The power to exclude evidence under N.D.R.Ev. 403 should be sparingly exercised, and prejudice due to the probative force of evidence is not unfair prejudice.
Under N.D.R.Ev. 801(d)(2), a statement made by one party that is offered against the party by the opponent is admissible, substantive, and non-hearsay evidence.

State v. Brown 2009 ND 150
Docket No.: 20080257
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Violation of City Ordinance
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: The legislature may delegate legislative powers, including the authority to create criminal penalties for violations of county ordinances, to a home rule county.
The provision in N.D.C.C. 11-09.1-05(5) limiting a home rule county's authority to regulate any industry or activity already regulated by state law applies only when there is an explicit state law or rule restraining the county's authority or when the industry or activity involved is already subject to substantial state control through broad, encompassing statutes or rules.
A county ordinance declaring that a dog that barks in an excessive or continuous manner is a public nuisance and that a person who owns or harbors the dog is guilty of an infraction does not reach a substantial amount of constitutionally protected conduct and is not unconstitutionally overbroad.
An ordinance declaring that a dog that barks in an excessive or continuous manner is a public nuisance is not unconstitutionally vague.
Under N.D. Const. art. VI, sec. 3, a procedural rule adopted by the Supreme Court must prevail in a conflict with a statutory procedural rule.
The signature of the prosecuting attorney on an information is not required to be sworn to upon oath.
A defendant charged with an infraction for violating a county ordinance, with a maximum penalty of a fifty-dollar fine with no possibility of imprisonment, does not have a constitutional right to a jury trial under N.D. Const. art. I, sec. 13.

Tarnavsky v. Rankin 2009 ND 149
Docket No.: 20090085
Filing Date: 8/18/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Torts (Negligence, Liab., Nuis.)
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: A party resisting a motion for summary judgment must present competent admissible evidence to establish a genuine issue of material fact on the party's claims.
A party resisting a summary judgment motion must explain the connection between factual assertions and legal theories in the case and cannot leave to the court the chore of divining what facts are relevant or why facts are relevant let alone material to a claim for relief.

Abdullah v. State, et al. 2009 ND 148
Docket No.: 20080254
Filing Date: 7/29/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Other
Author: Maring, Mary

Highlight: A public educational institution's decision whether to dismiss a student for academic reasons is entitled to deference.
Tort of unlawful interference with a business relationship requires an independently tortious or otherwise unlawful act of interference by the interferer.
A state employee may not be held liable for claims based upon a discretionary function, regardless of whether the discretion is abused, and a state employee cannot be held liable for a decision resulting from a quasi-judicial act.
A student does not have a substantive due process right to graduate from a public school.
A party resisting a motion for summary judgment must explain the connection between factual assertions and legal theories and cannot leave to the court the chore of divining what facts are relevant or why facts are relevant, let alone material, to a claim for relief.

State v. Sorenson (Consolidated w/20080134) 2009 ND 147
Docket No.: 20080132
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Homicide
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: Statements made during a jail phone call to friends and relatives are not testimonial statements, and Sixth Amendment confrontation rights do not apply.
Extreme emotional disturbance is a mitigating circumstance and not a defense to the crime of murder.
A warrantless trash search violates an individual's Fourth Amendment rights if there is a subjective expectation of privacy in the trash that society accepts as objectively reasonable.
An individual is denied due process when defects in procedure might lead to a denial of justice.
Insufficient evidence to support a conviction exists only when, after reviewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and giving the benefit of all inferences reasonably to be drawn in favor of the verdict, no rational fact finder could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

State v. Beane (Consolidated w/20090012 - 20090015) 2009 ND 146
Docket No.: 20090011
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: The Fourth Amendment is not implicated by police entry upon private land to knock on a citizen's door for legitimate police purposes unconnected with a search of the premises.
Placing a suspect in handcuffs before conducting a pat-down search for weapons is constitutionally permissible when the action is based on officer safety.
When an outside clothing pat-down search reveals the presence of an object of a size and density that reasonably suggests the object might be a weapon, the searching officer is entitled to continue the search to the inner garments where the object is located in order to determine whether the object is, in fact, a weapon.
Generally, when an object recovered from a suspect during a pat-down search is a closed container, the officer may not open the container to examine its contents unless the officer can point to specific and articulable facts supporting a reasonable suspicion that the closed container poses a danger to the officer or others nearby.

Schaaf v. N.D. Department of Transportation 2009 ND 145
Docket No.: 20090025
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Administrative - Department of Transportation
Author: Sandstrom, Dale

Highlight: If a general provision in a statute is in conflict with a special provision in the same or in another statute, the two must be construed, if possible, so that effect may be given to both provisions, but if the conflict between the two provisions is irreconcilable, the special provision must be construed to control over the general provision.
Due process requires notice and an opportunity for a hearing appropriate to the case.

State v. Blurton 2009 ND 144
Docket No.: 20090009
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Sexual Offense
Author: Kapsner, Carol

Highlight: A guilty plea must be knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily made to be valid.
Any error that does not affect a defendant's substantial rights is harmless and must be disregarded.
Generally, ineffective assistance of counsel claims should be raised in a post-conviction proceeding to allow the parties to fully develop a record of counsel's performance and its impact on the defendant.

State v. Demarais (Consolidated w/20080182) 2009 ND 143
Docket No.: 20080181
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Criminal - Drugs/Contraband
Author: Crothers, Daniel John

Highlight: A jury may find a defendant guilty even though evidence exists which, if believed, could lead to a not guilty verdict.
In nearly all possession of drug paraphernalia cases, the State will be forced to prove by circumstantial evidence the intent to use the paraphernalia for the purpose of ingesting, preparing, or storing a controlled substance.
A verdict based upon circumstantial evidence carries the same presumption of correctness as other verdicts.

Shull v. Walcker, et al. 2009 ND 142
Docket No.: 20090021
Filing Date: 7/21/2009
Case Type: Appeal - Civil - Constitutional Law
Author: VandeWalle, Gerald

Highlight: A motion for relief from judgment should not be used to relieve a party from free, calculated and deliberate choices he or she has made, and relief should be granted only in exceptional circumstances.
The failure of a condition precedent is an affirmative defense which must be pled in the answer to a filed complaint.
The decision of a respondent to not answer a complaint, to not file a response to a motion for default judgment, and to disregard the court's recommendations that he seek counsel until after default judgment has been entered against him does not constitute exceptional circumstances to justify relief under N.D.R.Civ.P. 60(b).
Whether an earnest money clause in a purchase agreement limits a seller's remedies to the earnest money itself is a matter of contractual interpretation.