Court Opinion

ID: 9514420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:49:19.912953+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:17.318546
License: Public Domain

*225MILLER, Chief Justice
(dissenting).
[¶ 24.] I respectfully dissent. The majority opinion overrules our holding in Koenig v. Lambert, 527 N.W.2d 903 (S.D.1995), without any change in the state of the law or any indication from the legislature that our ruling did not comport with its intent in enacting SDCL 26-10-25. The majority’s position is not based on legislative intent or new supporting precedent. Rather it appears to be the sole result of the change in the composition of this Court since our decision in Koe-nig.11 If this Court’s opinions are to have any precedential value, I respectfully submit a change in the membership of this Court is not a sufficient basis to abandon precedent.
[¶ 25.] The intent of a statute must be determined by what the legislature said, not what this Court thinks the legislature should have said. US West Communications, Inc. v. Public Utilities Commission, 505 N.W.2d 115, 123 (S.D.1993) (citation omitted). It is not our task to liberally construe statutes to avoid harsh results. In re Presentation Sisters, Inc., 471 N.W.2d 169, 175 (S.D.1991). SDCL 26-10-25 was enacted in 1991. In Koenig, we were asked to interpret SDCL 26-10-25 for the first time and determine its applicability to a claim of childhood sexual abuse occurring before its enactment. We did so and concluded the statute of limitations provided by SDCL 26-10-25 applied only to incidents of sexual abuse which occurred after 1991 because “there is no expression of [a retroactive] intention by the South Dakota Legislature.” Koenig, 527 N.W.2d at 904.
[¶ 26.] For the same reasons set forth in his dissent in Koenig, the now-majority writer concludes the legislature intended SDCL 26-10-25 to be applied retroactively. Koenig, 527 N.W.2d at 906-908 (Sabers, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part). This analysis was not persuasive when this Court interpreted SDCL 26-10-25 in 1995 and should not be held to be so now. Moreover, I assert that this conclusion does not comport with the actions of the legislature in the wake of our original decision. Since Koenig, the legislature has had two opportunities to amend SDCL 26-10-25 to abrogate our holding and give the statute retroactive application. Twice it has declined to do so. If the legislature had in fact intended the statute to have retroactive effect it would have been a simple matter to supersede our holding by amending SDCL 26-10-25 to expressly so provide. The legislature’s reluctance to take issue with our holding is persuasive evidence it did not intend the statute to apply retroactively. Any doubt concerning the intended application of SDCL 26-10-25 has been resolved.
[¶ 27.] Though the majority’s ultimate holding responds to the sympathies raised by the facts of this case, it is my belief that such an application was not contemplated by SDCL 26-10-25; only the legislature can make this statute retroactive. When the state of the law remains constant, this Court’s function is to ensure the law’s stability and predictability.12
[¶ 28.] I am authorized to state that Justice AMUNDSON joins in this dissent.

. At the time Koenig v. Lambert was decided, Justice Wuest (Ret.) was still a voting member of this Court. Justice Konenkamp was disqualified from participating in our decision because of his involvement in the case as a trial court judge. Justice Gilbertson was not yet a member of this Court at the time of our decision. Circuit Judge Dobberpuhl, sitting for Justice Konenkamp, wrote our majority opinion. 527 N.W.2d 903 (S.D.1995).

. This is not to say that this Court is without remedy when circumstances have changed or our original decision was in error. " 'Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.’ ” Walz v. City of Hudson, 327 N.W.2d 120, 124 (S.D.1982) (Wollman, J., concurring specially) (quoting Henslee v. Union Planters National Bank & Trust Co., 335 U.S. 595, 600, 69 S.Ct. 290, 293, 93 L.Ed. 259, 264 (1949) (Frankfurter, J., dissenting)). I submit, however, our decision in Koenig was a proper determination of the legislature's intent in enacting SDCL 26-10-25 and is supported by the legislature's response to the holding.