Court Opinion

ID: 9513717
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:39:31.825684+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:05:59.379788
License: Public Domain

SANDSTROM, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶ 51] Because the majority is imper-missibly substituting its views for the clear action of the legislature, I respectfully dissent.
[¶ 52] The legislature has provided that before there is a hearing on change of custody, the petitioner must present affidavits establishing a prima facie case justifying a modification. N.D.C.C. § 14-09-06.6(4). “Prima facie evidence” or “prima facie case” are legal terms with well-established meanings. See Blank’s Law Dictionary 579 & 1209 (7th éd.1999). The North Dakota Century Code itself specifies how it is to be interpreted. N.D.C.C. tit. 1. The Code specifies that words are to be understood in their ordinary sense unless a contrary meaning plainly appears. N.D.C.C. § 1-02-02. The Code specifies that there is no common law (judge-made law) when the law is declared by statute. N.D.C.C. § 1-01-06. Here the majority interprets prima facie evidence in a way contrary to the ordinarily understood meaning of the term, and the majority substitutes its judge-made law for the enactment of the legislature.
[¶ 53] Prima facie evidence is admissible evidence that, if uncontradicted, would be sufficient to justify a judgment in the presenting party’s favor. Black’s Law Dictionary 579 & 1209 (7th ed.1999).
[¶ 54] Here the majority says, in effect, that much less than prima facie evidence is necessary to entitle a moving party to a hearing on change of custody, even though *635the legislature has said only prima facie evidence is sufficient.
[¶ 55] A prima facie case requires competent and sufficiently specific nonconclu-sory evidence. See Schnoor v. Meinecke, 77 N.D. 96, 40 N.W.2d 803, 808 (1950). Competence generally requires that the witness have first-hand knowledge of facts. Black’s Law Dictionary 576-77 (7th ed.1999). How does the person know? Witnesses are generally not competent to testify to what they only “suspect” or “secretly hope” the facts are. See State v. Schill, 406 N.W.2d 660, 662 (N.D.1987).
[¶ 56] Affidavits fail to establish a pri-ma facie case when they are not competent, they do not show a basis of actual personal knowledge, or they are coneluso-ry, stating conclusions without the support of evidentiary facts.
[¶ 57] I generally agree with the majority that if the allegations here were supported by specific, competent, admissible evidence, they would be sufficient to justify a hearing. But I agree with Justice Maring’s dissent that most of the allegations are not supported by specific, competent, admissible evidence.
[¶ 58] I would affirm the district court.
[¶ 59] Dale V. Sandstrom