Christl v. Swanson, 20000315.
Decision Date | 22 May 2001 |
Docket Number | No. 20000315.,20000315. |
Citation | 2001 ND 98,626 N.W.2d 690 |
Parties | Kenneth S. CHRISTL, Plaintiff and Appellee, v. Lisa SWANSON, Defendant and Appellant, and M.M.S., a minor child, represented by her natural mother, Lisa Swanson, Defendant. |
Court | North Dakota Supreme Court |
Mark R. Fraase, Wegner, Fraase, Nordeng, Johnson & Ramstad, Fargo, ND, for plaintiff and appellee.
Bonnie Jendro Askew, Fargo, ND, for defendant and appellant.
[¶ 1] Lisa Swanson appealed from an amended judgment modifying Kenneth Christl's child support obligation upon remand by this Court in an appeal from the original judgment. We hold the district court appropriately exercised its discretion within the scope of this Court's remand in redetermining Christl's child support obligation, and we affirm.
[¶ 2] Christl and Swanson are the biological parents of a child who was born in September 1998. Christl is a self-employed farmer. He brought an action to determine custody, visitation, and child support. The trial court awarded custody of the child to Swanson, set reasonable visitation for Christl, and ordered Christl to pay child support in the amount of $1,103 per month. Christl appealed, and this Court in Christl v. Swanson, 2000 ND 74, ¶ 16, 609 N.W.2d 70, reversed and remanded the case to the district court for a redetermination of Christl's child support obligation. Upon remand, the district court, a different judge sitting,1 recalculated Christl's net income for child support purposes and ordered Christl to pay support in the amount of $524 per month. On appeal, Swanson argues the district court's redetermination of Christl's support obligation exceeded the scope of the remand and is not supported by the record.
[¶ 3] Child support determinations involve questions of law which are subject to the de novo standard of review, findings of fact which are subject to the clearly erroneous standard of review, and may, in some limited areas, be matters of discretion subject to the abuse of discretion standard of review. Lauer v. Lauer, 2000 ND 82, ¶ 3, 609 N.W.2d 450.
[¶ 4] In remanding the case following the first appeal, this Court explained:
Christl, 609 N.W.2d 70, 2000 ND 74, ¶¶ 13-14.
[¶ 5] Following our remand, the district court explained its understanding of what the court was instructed to do in redetermining Christl's child support obligation:
The district court redetermined the support obligation following the guideline instructions under N.D. Admin. Code § 75-02-04.1-05(2), which, at the time these proceedings were commenced, provided:
After adjusted gross income from self-employment is determined, all business expenses allowed for taxation purposes, but which do not require actual expenditures, such as depreciation, must be added to determine net income from self-employment. Business costs actually incurred and paid, but not expensed for internal revenue service purposes, such as principal payments on business loans (to the extent there is a net reduction in total principal obligations incurred in purchasing depreciable assets), may be deducted to determine net income from self-employment.
[¶ 6] In its memorandum opinion of August 2, 2000, the district court explained its rationale for recalculating Christl's net income:
This Court is of the opinion that the items such as the vehicle, computer and computer program, which the former Judge did not allow deduction of as tools and farm machinery, was correct and will stand. However, the capital expenditures that were made before the child's birth, which the Court applied the presumption to, causing them to be asset transactions warranting an upward deviation from the presumptively-correct child support guideline amount of support, will no longer be viewed in that light and will not be considered as warranting an upward deviation....
To continue reading
Request your trial-
Hein v. Hein (In re Hein)
...treats outlays made to acquire capital assets as distinct from subsequent depreciation deductions relating to the asset is Christl v. Swanson (2001) 2001 N.D. 98, . In that case, the North Dakota Supreme Court determined the trial court did not abuse its discretion in calculating a farmer's......
-
Kautzman v. Kautzman, 20030038.
...that the proceedings in the case may be completed without prejudice to the parties" and alleging she acted in violation of Christl v. Swanson, 2001 ND 98, ¶ 2 n. 1, 626 N.W.2d 690, N.D.C.C. § 27-05-27, and N.D.R.Civ.P. [¶ 10] Under N.D.R.Civ.P. 63, "[i]f a trial or hearing has been commence......
-
Harger v. Harger, 20010186.
...standard of review, and, in some limited areas, matters of discretion subject to the abuse of discretion standard of review. Christl v. Swanson, 2001 ND 98, ¶3, 626 N.W.2d 690. In this case, Marion Harger had two hurdles to overcome to reduce his child support obligation. First, he had the ......
- State v. Rue