Court Opinion

ID: 9661898
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 22:54:17.962622+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:34.959508
License: Public Domain

TEIGEN, Judge
(dissenting).
I dissent. It is my opinion that the order of the trial court should be affirmed.
Section 39-17-03, N.D.C.C., limits recovery from the Unsatisfied Judgment Fund to residents of this state. Section 54-01-26, N.D.C.C., states the rules for determining residence. Subsection 4 provides that the residence of the father during his life, or the residence of the mother after the father’s death while she remains unmarried, is the residence of the unmarried minor children. Subsection 6 provides that the residence of an unmarried minor cannot be changed by his own act or that of his guardian if he has a parent living.
Section 14-10-01(1), N.D.C.C., in effect prior to July 1, 1971, the time in issue here, provided that minors were males under twenty-one years of age and females under eighteen years of age. The majority have held, and with this I agree, that in order to sustain the constitutional validity of the statutory requirement of residence in order to recover from the Unsatisfied Judgment *629Fund, Section 14-10-01(1), N.D.C.C., as it existed prior to July 1, 1971, should not be applied as an aid in determining residence. However, this leaves subsections 4 and 6 of Section 54-01-26, N.D.C.C., still applicable as rules for determining residence but without a statutory definition of a minor.
I cannot agree with the majority that the effect of their holding, not applying Section 14 — 10-01(1), N.D.C.C., “is that males and females eighteen years of age and older shall be treated uniformly in determining their residency for the Unsatisfied Judgment Fund” [emphasis added], because there is no statutory basis for selecting the age of eighteen years as a qualifying age for the purpose of determining the end of minority. In my opinion, to hold, as the majority have, constitutes judicial legislation, and the holding is also contrary to law. Under the holding of the majority there is no statutory law applicable for the purpose of determining the age of minority of one who seeks to recover from the Unsatisfied Judgment Fund. Where there is no statutory law, we apply the common law.
Section 1-01-06, N.D.C.C., provides:
“In this state there is no common law in any case where the law is declared by the code.”
In re Estate of Jensen, 162 N.W.2d 861 (N.D.1968) and Nuelle v. Wells, 154 N.W.2d 364 (N.D. 1967) are not applicable because in each of these cases we found that there were statutes applicable to the question at bar and thus the common law was not applied. However, in this case there is no applicable statute to apply. Under such circumstances we have held, in construing Section 1-01-06, N.D.C.C., that in the absence of statute the common law is the basic law applicable to civil rights and remedies. McLaughlin Oil Co. v. First State Bank of Buffalo, 79 N.D. 525, 57 N.W.2d 860 (1953); Reeves & Co. v. Russell, 28 N.D. 265, 148 N.W. 654 (1914). Thus where there is no express constitutional or statutory declaration upon the subject, the common law is applied. McLaughlin Oil Co. v. First State Bank of Buffalo, supra, Brignall v. Hannah, 34 N.D. 174, 157 N.W. 1042 (1916).
Under the common law a person, whether male or female, attains his majority at the age of twenty-one years and this rule has generally remained in force throughout the United States except where changed by statute. 42 Am.Jur.2d Infants, § 3; 43 C.J.S. Infants § 2.
Applying the common law to the construction of Section 54-01-26, N.D.C.C., for the purpose of determining residence, does not discriminate against this male applicant for compensation from the Unsatisfied Judgment Fund, who, at the time of the accident in which he sustained injuries for which he now seeks compensation from the Fund, was twenty years of age.
For the reasons set forth, I would affirm the district court.
KNUDSON, J., concurs in the above dissent.