Court Opinion

ID: 9853456
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:49:13.014854+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:49.234527
License: Public Domain

SANDSTROM, Justice,
concurring in the result.
I concur in the result of sending this case back to the trial court for specific findings and reconsideration as may be appropriate.
The trial court could have made clearer findings, and clearly the legislature intended a high level of compelling evidence to award custody to a perpetrator of domestic violence. I cannot agree with the majority’s imputation of ill motives and ill thoughts to the trial judge. I also do not agree with the majori*167ty’s trivializing the harm of cigarette smoke to an asthmatic child.
The majority heavily supplements the record. I agree legislative facts may be considered to interpret an ambiguous statute. 2 McCormick on Evidence, 4th ed. §§ 328, 331. The majority goes far beyond this to use “articles” to create evidentiary facts. The majority’s “experts” were never called at trial, were never qualified or cross-examined. See Rules 702-705, N.D.R.Evid. The majority relies heavily on an article by Anne Gan-ley. Many of the “facts” from Ganley are not legislative facts, they are evidentiary facts. Though some are appealing, they are not in the record, and may or may not be true. Some appear to reflect inflexible stereotyping.
A fair reading of the record indicates the trial court did not totally accept Cristie Reed’s version of the facts. The trial court found minimal domestic violence by Shane Heck, and concluded that was sufficient to create the presumption. The trial court then found the presumption had been overcome. The record — a letter from Cristie Reed apologizing to Shane Heck for hitting him — also reflects domestic violence by her against him.
The record further reflects that a medical doctor told Cristie Reed smoking in the presence of her asthmatic child threatened his health. Although she swore under oath she did not smoke in the asthmatic child’s presence nor permit others to do so, two of her own witnesses testified to seeing her and others smoke in the child’s presence. Under N.D.C.C. § 14-07.1-01, domestic violence includes “physical harm.” Smoking in the presence of an asthmatic child whose health is thereby threatened may well constitute such physical harm. If it does, a judge’s order should not be necessary to create an obligation to stop smoking in the child’s presence.
NEUMANN, J., concurs.