Court Opinion

ID: 9870527
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-26 20:02:32.303289+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:46:09.785649
License: Public Domain

Kapsner, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶37] I respectfully dissent from,that part of the opinion which remands and directs either an identical division -of an unvalued remainder mineral interest or an explanation of why the district court fails to do so. I dissent because I do not see how this Court can single out one asset, which the parties did not value, and reverse because the district court ordered it to be distributed on a different basis unless that one asset causes the entire properly division to be inequitable.
[¶38] The remainder interest in the minerals was equally divided; the parties stated they wanted their children, to have the minerals eventually. The remainder interest was a gift from Jacobs’ parents, the life estate holders who were still alive at the time of trial. It would be unknown whether Jacobs or Raak would realize any income from the mineral interest at any time soon. Jacobs received a fee simple in her half of the remainder interest; Raak received a life estate in his half of the remainder interest. The difference is in the restraint on alienation. Jacobs could alienate hers; Raak could not, but the distribution does accomplish Raak’s stated purpose to get the minerals to the children. Perhaps because the gift was from Jacobs’ family, the district court felt that Jacobs was less likely to alienate this interest.
[¶ 39] Regardless of the motivation, the real issue is the majority opinion does not say how the entire property division is made inequitable by this difference in distribution. Would the trial court have treated the other real property received from Jaeobs’ parents differently had the mineral interests been distributed identically?
[¶ 40] I would affirm the entire decision of the district court because I do not believe this difference in distribution makes the entire property, distribution inequitable.
[¶ 41] Carol Ronning Kapsner
Lisa Fair McEvers