Court Opinion

ID: 9659171
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:33:40.24135+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:04.627062
License: Public Domain

LEVINE, Justice,
dissenting.
This is not an easy case. I, too, may have found the police officers’ testimony credible, had I been the fact finder. But that is not the standard of our review. I, therefore, dissent.
It requires no citation that the trial court is the ultimate arbiter of credibility. Of course, all credibility determinations are part of the record and subject to our review. But still, the fact finder is perfectly justified to reject anyone’s testimony if it finds that testimony lacking in credibility. That finding of incredibility need not be articulated but, instead, is often inferred from the fact finder’s decision. E.g., Becker v. Becker, 262 N.W.2d 478 (N.D.1978). The majority says that a trial court cannot disregard testimony that is uncontradicted and unchallenged. But that is not the law in North Dakota or at least has not been the law in North Dakota until now. City of Fargo v. Candor Const., 260 N.W.2d 8 (N.D.1977); Waletzko v. Herdegen, 226 N.W.2d 648 (N.D.1975). When the basic facts or evidence are not disputed, the trial court is not required to make a credibility determination. E.g., In Interest of Riedel, 353 N.W.2d 773 (N.D.1984). That is so because if the trial court finds in favor of the position espoused or supported by the witness, we assume the trial court has implicitly found the testimony that witness to be credible, while if there is a determination contrary to the witness’ position, we assume the opposite. E.g., Becker v. Becker, supra. We have held that when a witness has an interest in a question at issue, his or her uncontradicted testimony need not be accepted by the fact finder. Farley v. Champs Fine Foods, Inc., 404 N.W.2d 493 (N.D.1987). I would say that these police officers had a good deal of interest in the question at issue.
I agree that a fact finder may not reject a witness’ testimony for an arbitrary reason. Gardebring v. Rizzo, 269 N.W.2d 104 (N.D.1978). “Arbitrary” means capricious or irrational. Webster’s Third New Int’l Dictionary (1971). We all agree that if a witness appeared jittery, or coached, averted his or her eyes or exhibited other clues that do not appear in the “cold” record (but are the reason for the rule that this court has no authority to secondguess credibility determinations), a finding of lack of credibility based upon any of those reasons would not be arbitrary. I am unable to rationalize the distinction between a fact finder’s intuition and reaction, almost always unarticulated, to a witness’ physical appearance and demeanor on the one hand and, on the other hand, the fact finder’s intuition and reaction to the witnesses’ demeanor and testimony about their reasonable suspicion to stop defendant’s vehicle. Obviously, the majority disagrees with the reason given for the trial court’s rejection of the police officers’ testimony. All that tells me is that the majority would have weighed that evidence differently if it had been given that opportunity. But the fact that police officers sit back and watch a drunk get into a vehicle is certainly a factor that may be considered by the fact finder on the issue of whether there was evidence of intoxication sufficient to constitute reasonable suspicion, is it not? How, then, can it be arbitrary for the fact finder to have given that factor weight? It seems to me it was considered and weighed by the fact finder in accord with the fact finder’s prerogative.
I would affirm the dismissal of the criminal charge.