Court Opinion

ID: 9657204
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 20:17:28.848008+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:42.172702
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(specially concurring).
A letter is not a Finding of Fact or Conclusion of Law. There was no Finding of Fact or Conclusion of Law establishing a vested interest of the husband in his retirement account of $24,648 nor of the wife’s retirement account of $1,400. Here, the court accepted these “vestings” by letter. There was evidence that came in, post trial, by way of letter and communication to the court as to the valuation of these “vest-ings.”
If the trial court is to consider these valuations regarding “vestings,” and it appears that both parties recognize that they have a “vested interest,” then the record should be opened up and there should be a Finding of Fact and a Conclusion of Law with respect thereto. SDCL 15-6-52(a) sets forth the proper procedure for serving proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and proposed judgment; thereafter, a procedure is set forth, statutorily, concerning the withholding by the court of the entering of findings for a period of five days after service; thereafter, the court thereupon enters findings of fact and conclusions of law and judgment as it deems proper. Where there has been a failure to enter proper findings of fact and conclusions of law, we have held that this constitutes reversible error. Stanton v. Saks, 303 N.W.2d 819 (S.D.1981) (per curiam); Talbert v. Talbert, 290 N.W.2d 862 (S.D.1980). Thus, I would reverse and remand with directions for the trial court to take such further evidence/enter such explicit findings of fact and conclusions of law and judgment which are necessary under the evidence. In Stubbe v. Stubbe, 376 N.W.2d 807, 809 (S.D.1985) (Henderson, J., dissenting), there was no evidence on vesting. Here, we do have some evidence, albeit by letter after the trial, which could support a finding of a vested interest of a husband and a wife in a retirement account. In other words, we have some civil procedure that needs righting.
Justice Sabers writes specially on what he terms “take another look” at the rehabilitative alimony award. In Connelly v. Connelly, 362 N.W.2d 91, 97 (S.D.1986) (Henderson, J., dissenting), I decried an “open-ended” alimony award. True, the circumstances were different in Connelly, but the principle is still the same: “Open-ended” alimony awards are adjudicating upon future hypotheses and, thus, have no degree of certainty. Therefore, a party becomes an unwitting hostage to a future domestic or economic event.
Jean, as the majority opinion refers to her, has a healthy body and a decent paying job by standards of the economic plight of the working people in South Dakota. The trial court specifically found that she had “generally good health.” She does hold down a steady job and there is not one shred of evidence to suggest that she cannot earn a living by the product of her own labors. Thus, she can support herself and will not be a burden on society. In sum, she does not need to be rehabilitated. There is no finding of fact or conclusion of law indicating that she needs to be rehabilitated; yet, the trial court, in Conclusion of Law 7, without any finding whatsoever to back it up, expressed that “[t]he Defendant should pay the Plaintiff rehabilitative alimony in the sum of $400 per month, until such time as the residence of the parties is sold.” Obviously, the trial court never intended that Jean receive rehabilitative alimony for any extended period of time but believed that she would need some temporary alimony to make some adjustments until the house was sold. Then, the so-called “rehabilitative alimony” would terminate.
This Court, by its language, now invites the trial court to enter some type of “rehabilitative alimony.” There is nothing in this record which substantiates rehabilitative alimony. If rehabilitative alimony is granted herein, it is because of sympathy generated by unobjective assertions on behalf of Jean.
*903In Martin v. Martin, 358 N.W.2d 793, 801 (S.D.1984), (Henderson, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part), I expressed a fear of the new concept of rehabilitative alimony in this state. What I feared then, now is vividly illustrated in this case. Someone wishes to stand under the tree to taste the sweetness of its bounty. In Martin, at 801, I expressed:
Rehabilitative alimony is a new concept to South Dakota and I fear its expansion where no rehabilitation is necessary. Although not blessed with mystic legal powers, I reasonably foresee onrushing domestic litigation seeking rehabilitative alimony as it is “new law in South Dakota.” When a new tree suddenly appears in the orchard bearing fruit, it is likely that there are those who would stand under the tree to taste the sweetness of its bounty.
Jean has sufficient funds to defray her own attorney’s fees on appeal and the liquidity of the parties’ financial condition is such that each party should, in my opinion, defray their own attorney’s fees.