Court Opinion

ID: 9579357
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:54:21.479893+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:35:28.507493
License: Public Domain

McCown, J.,
dissenting.
The majority opinion recites the established rule that the fixing of alimony or the distribution of property rests in the sound discretion of the District Court, and in the absence of an abuse of discretion will not be disturbed on appeal. The majority opinion then finds that there was an abuse of discretion by the trial court in determining and adjusting by alimony payments the value of a residence which constituted the major asset of the parties.
The marriage lasted less than 5 years. The parties each had children by former marriages and there were no children born to this marriage. Both parties were employed during the marriage. The present value of the additional payments imposed by this court constitute less than 7 percent of the purchase price and of the lowest appraisal value of the residence. In determining that the trial court’s ac*466tion under such circumstances constituted an abuse of discretion the majority opinion has ignored the settled rule of this court that the division of property made by the trial court will not be disturbed on appeal unless it is patently unfair on the record. Van Bloom v. Van Bloom, 196 Neb. 792, 246 N. W. 2d 588; Tavlin v. Tavlin, 194 Neb. 98, 230 N. W. 2d 108.
The problems of alimony awards and the determination and division of inflated property values are not subject to solution by mathematical formula. Although dissolution of marriage cases are heard de novo on appeal, this court ought to be slow to conclude that the trial court abused its discretion. We have continuously adhered to the rule that in reaching our findings we give great weight to the fact that the trial court observed the witnesses and their manner of testifying and accepted one version of the facts rather than the opposite. This is particularly true where local property values are involved. Minor adjustments to a property division which reflect differing judicial viewpoints of the appellate court do not furnish a sufficient basis upon which to conclude that the trial court has abused its discretion.
In this case the alimony award and the division of property made by the trial court was not patently unfair on the record and there was no abuse of discretion by the trial court.
White, C. J., and Clinton, J., join in this dissent.