Opinion ID: 2554333
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Valuation of the Marital Property

Text: [¶ 17] Property valuations by the court are factual findings that we review for clear error. Nadeau v. Nadeau, 2008 ME 147, ¶ 42, 957 A.2d 108, 120. A finding is clearly erroneous if it is unsupported by competent evidence in the record. See Payne v. Payne, 2006 ME 73, ¶ 7, 899 A.2d 793, 795. When a party makes a request for findings pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 52(a), we review the original findings and any additional findings made in response to the motion for findings to determine if they are sufficient, as a matter of law, to support the result and if they are supported by the evidence in the record. Jarvis v. Jarvis, 2003 ME 53, ¶ 18, 832 A.2d 775, 779. [¶ 18] When reviewing the evidence in the record, we recognize that the trial court is not bound to accept any testimony or evidence as fact, and that determinations of the weight and credibility to assign to the evidence are squarely within the province of the fact-finder. See Wandishin v. Wandishin, 2009 ME 73, ¶ 13, 976 A.2d 949, 953. The court may accept a property valuation offered by one of the parties or may assign a different value based on the court's independent assessment of the evidence presented. Id.; Peters v. Peters, 1997 ME 134, ¶ 14, 697 A.2d 1254, 1258-59. Furthermore, although the court has a duty to make findings sufficient to inform the parties of the reasons for its conclusions and to allow for effective appellate review, there is no requirement that a court identify the reasoning it uses to reach each finding of fact. Potter v. Potter, 2007 ME 95, ¶ 8, 926 A.2d 1193, 1196; accord Wandishin, 2009 ME 73, ¶ 19, 976 A.2d at 954. [¶ 19] In the instant case, the court's valuations of Atkinson, Michael's loan to Atkinson, InTown, and the MTM judgment are supported by competent evidence in the record. The court could properly rely on the amount of a purchase offer to set the net worth of Atkinson, and the court's finding on the amount of Atkinson's debt is within the range established by the testimony and exhibits. Although we do not know exactly which debts the court included in its total, it appears that the court excluded over $14,000 in property taxes that two of the partners had paid. The court's finding is sufficient for appellate review and is supported by the record evidence. [¶ 20] Similarly, the court did not err in valuing Michael's loan to Atkinson at its full value given the court's determination that the loan would be valuable to him as the partners settled their affairs and sought reimbursement for contributions made to Atkinson and not matched by Michael. Finally, the court did not accept Michael's valuations of InTown or the MTM judgment, and we will not disturb the weight and credibility determinations of the trial court.