Court Opinion

ID: 9663839
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 23:52:58.762274+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:58.088423
License: Public Domain

STRUTZ, Judge
(concurring specially).
I agree with the opinion of the majority, except as to the division of the property which was acquired during the marriage. Our statute provides that where a divorce is granted, “the court shall make such equitable distribution of the real and personal property of the parties as may seem just and proper”. Sec. 14-05-24, N.D.C.C. I agree that this does not mean an equal distribution. In this case, the trial court did divide the small amount of personal property equally, but gave to the defendant all of the real property acquired during the marriage by the parties.
I believe that, under the above statute, an award of some part of the property to each of the parties is mandatory. But no part of the real property was given to the plaintiff. Although the court found that the defendant had given the plaintiff cause for a divorce, it gave to the defendant all of the real property.
Since an “equitable division” implies that each party be given some part of the property, both real and personal, I would modify the judgment of the trial court to give to the plaintiff one of the three quarters of land which the parties acquired during their marriage.