Court Opinion

ID: 9843829
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 02:43:43.372599+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:14.333459
License: Public Domain

SANDSTROM, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶ 45] Because I would affirm the judgment of the district court, I respectfully *490dissent from the portion of the majority opinion that reverses and remands.
[¶46] Findings of fact are not to be reversed by this Court unless they are clearly erroneous. N.D.R.Civ.P. 52(a) (“Findings of fact, including findings in juvenile matters, whether based on oral or documentary evidence, shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous, and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge the credibility of the witnesses.”). Merely that this Court might have found facts differently does not make findings clearly erroneous. Wagner v. Wagner, 2000 ND 132, ¶ 12, 612 N.W.2d 555 (“We will not reverse a trial court’s findings merely because we may have viewed the facts differently if we had been the trier of fact.”); Wolf v. Wolf, 474 N.W.2d 257, 259 (N.D.1991) (“We may have viewed the evidence and weighed those factors differently had we been the trier of fact; but that is not the standard on appeal and we will not reverse a decision of the trial court simply because we would have done differently had we been the trial court.”).
[¶ 47] At ¶ 27, the majority says, “However, the court also found Heidi Eberle was not pressured or under duress at the time she signed the agreement. The evidence does not support this finding. The facts and circumstances of this case strongly indicate there may have been some duress or undue influence.”
[¶ 48] Although there is contrary evidence, there is extensive evidence to support the district court’s findings, including the lengthy delay before the appellant sought relief from the judgment. The district court saw and heard the witnesses. It was the province of the district court to judge credibility, draw inferences, and determine the facts. The majority is inappropriately substituting its judgment for that of the district court.
[¶ 49] Dale V. Sandstrom