Opinion ID: 1668343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: mayer debt

Text: Jana Mayer, Lydia's mother, paid $40,000 toward the $105,000 purchase price of the Stecklers' home in 1990. Instead of receiving interest on the debt, Mayer lived with the Stecklers. Ted and Lydia formally assigned Mayer an interest in the home of the greater of $40,000.00 or 40% of the sale price of the property if the property is sold. In his NDROC 8.3 property listing, Ted valued the home at $116,000 and the Mayer debt at $40,000. Although Lydia valued the home at $120,000, she also listed the Mayer debt at $40,000. As with all the property listed by Ted and Lydia, the court relied on these identical amounts when making its own determination of the debt. Thus, like in Dick v. Dick, 414 N.W.2d 288, 291 (N.D.1987), Lydia had a part in this alleged error. She did not dispute the court's valuation of the debt in her post-judgment motion, but now complains on appeal that the actual debt is $46,400, 40% of the value. Normally, if a post-judgment motion is made, the party making such a motion is limited on appeal to a review of the grounds presented to the trial court. Andrews v. O'Hearn, 387 N.W.2d 716, 728 (N.D.1986). Lydia cannot raise new questions on appeal by hiring a new attorney. Still, even if we consider her arguments, the trial court properly accepted the amount of the debt listed by both Ted and Lydia. Moreover, Mayer was entitled to 40% of the value of the home only if it was sold. The home was distributed to Lydia and not sold. In view of the uncertainty in the future sale price of this rural home, and Mayer's continued residency in it, the trial court committed no clear error in valuing the debt to Mayer at the amount she invested less than three years before trial.