Court Opinion

ID: 9715621
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:10:28.445343+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:36.406880
License: Public Domain

*764PAULSON, Judge
(concurring specially)-
I concur in the result.
In Ferguson v. Ferguson, 202 N.W.2d 760 (N.D.1972), a divorce case which involved custody as well as a division of property, in paragraph 3 of the syllabus, we held:
“Findings that a party to a divorce action has committed adultery, that the best interests of the children of the parties to a divorce action would be served by awarding custody of the children to one party as opposed to the other, and that a particular division of property between the parties to a divorce action is equitable, are appropriately dealt with on appeal as findings of fact. Consequently, a review of these findings is limited to a determination of whether or not they are ‘clearly erroneous’ within the purview of Rule 52(a), N.D.R.Civ.P.”
Subsequently, in Novlesky v. Novlesky, 206 N.W.2d 865 (N.D.1973), another divorce case but one which involved only a division of property, in paragraph 4 of the syllabus, this court held:
“A finding that a particular division of property between the parties to a divorce action is equitable is appropriately dealt with on appeal as a finding of fact. Consequently, a review of this finding is limited to a determination of whether or not it is ‘clearly erroneous’ within the purview of Rule 52(a), N.D.R.Civ.P.”
In Novlesky, that portion of paragraph 3 of the syllabus in Ferguson, supra, was quoted with approval by this court.
It is my belief that the inclusion of the abuse-of-discretion test in the review of property settlements in divorce actions will be productive of nothing but the utmost in confusion for the members of the bar as well as the judiciary.
Since August 1, 1971, we have been applying the “clearly erroneous” test of Rule 52(a), N.D.R.Civ.P., to findings of a trial court. In the Ferguson and Novlesky cases, the matters of child custody and property division were treated as findings of the trial court. I believe that it is a retrogressive step on the part of this court to now add in this case the test of abuse of discretion to the review of property divisions in divorce actions.
ERICKSTAD, C. J., concurs.