Opinion ID: 895824
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: bill's appeal

Text: [¶ 5] Bill challenges various financial aspects of the divorce decree, contending the trial court erred (1) by including Bill's fee in one contingent fee case in the marital estate; (2) in valuing Bill's law-office money-market account; (3) by awarding Mary part of Bill's future share in a trust set up by his father;(4) by awarding permanent spousal support; and (5) by awarding attorney fees to Mary.
[¶ 6] Bill contends several of the trial court's findings on property division are erroneous. In Grinaker v. Grinaker, 553 N.W.2d 204, 207-208 (N.D.1996), we summarized our standard for reviewing a trial court's valuation and distribution of marital property: The trial court must make an equitable distribution of the marital property, based upon the facts and circumstances of each individual case. NDCC 14-05-24; Volson v. Volson, 542 N.W.2d 754, 756 (N.D.1996). The court's determinations on valuation and division of property are findings of fact that will only be reversed on appeal if they are clearly erroneous. Volson, 542 N.W.2d at 756; Braun v. Braun, 532 N.W.2d 367, 370 (N.D.1995). A finding is clearly erroneous only if the reviewing court on the entire record is left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made. Buzick v. Buzick, 542 N.W.2d 756, 758 (N.D.1996). As Buzick, 542 N.W.2d at 758, and Fenske v. Fenske, 542 N.W.2d 98, 102 (N.D.1996), explain, the trial court's findings of fact are presumptively correct, and the complaining party bears the burden of demonstrating on appeal that a finding of fact is clearly erroneous.