Glass v. Glass

2017 ND 17, 889 N.W.2d 885, 2017 WL 632886, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 27
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 16, 2017
Docket20160112
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2017 ND 17 (Glass v. Glass) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glass v. Glass, 2017 ND 17, 889 N.W.2d 885, 2017 WL 632886, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 27 (N.D. 2017).

Opinion

VandeWalle, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1] Sandra Glass-Lenertz appealed from an amended judgment terminating James Glass’s spousal support obligation to her. We affirm, concluding the district court did not abuse its discretion in terminating spousal support as of the date of Lenertz’s remarriage in 2002.

I

[¶ 2] Lenertz and Glass divorced in 1996. The divorce judgment required Glass to pay Lenertz $1,700 per month in spousal support. The judgment states Glass’s spousal support obligation ceases upon either party’s death. The spousal support provision of the judgment is silent regarding Lenertz’s remarriage.

[¶ 3] Lenertz remarried in September 2002. Glass did not pay any spousal support until 2001. Between the date of the divorce and Lenertz’s remarriage, Glass accrued $117,300 in spousal support payments to Lenertz. In 2001 and 2002, Glass paid Lenertz $23,000 in spousal support. Between 2002 and July 2015, Glass paid Lenertz $94,300 in spousal support, the remainder of the $117,300 owed. Glass did not pay any interest on the past due amounts.

[¶ 4] In July 2015 Glass moved to terminate his spousal support obligation, arguing it terminated on the date of Lenertz’s remarriage. After a November 2015 hearing, the district court concluded Glass’s spousal support obligation terminated on the date of Lenertz’s remarriage in September 2002. The court also found Lenertz was entitled to $26,903.37 of interest on the unpaid spousal support that accrued between the date of the divorce and her remarriage.

II

[¶ 5] Lenertz argues the district court exceeded its statutory authority by retroactively terminating her spousal support as of the date of her remarriage.

[¶ 6] Spousal support is governed by N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1. This statute was amended effective August 1, 2015, and states permanent spousal support terminates upon the remarriage of the former spouse receiving support. N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1(2). Lenertz remarried and Glass moved to terminate his spousal support obligation before the amendment and neither party argues the amended statute applies here. See Klein v. Klein, 2016 ND 153, ¶ 12, 882 N.W.2d 296 (N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1 as amended applies prospectively, not retroactively).

[¶ 7] The version of N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1 in effect in this case provided:

Taking into consideration the circumstances of the parties, the court may require one party to pay spousal support to the other party for any period of time. *887 The court may modify its spousal support orders.

[¶ 8] This Court has addressed remarriage of a former spouse receiving spousal support under this version and earlier versions of N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1. Although earlier versions of N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1 are silent regarding remarriage, we have held numerous times that remarriage creates a prima facie case to terminate permanent spousal support unless extraordinary circumstances exist to justify its continuance. Pearson v. Pearson, 2000 ND 20, ¶ 7, 606 N.W.2d 128; Cermak v. Cermak, 1997 ND 187, ¶ 6 n.l, 569 N.W.2d 280 (“Even without a specific provision in the divorce decree, permanent spousal support may terminate upon the remarriage of the recipient spouse unless the recipient shows extraordinary circumstances.”); Wiege v. Wiege, 518 N.W.2d 708, 712 (N.D. 1994); Ramsdell v. Ramsdell, 454 N.W.2d 522, 524 (N.D. 1990); Roen v. Roen, 438 N.W2d 170, 173 (N.D. 1989); Rustand v. Rustand, 379 N.W.2d 806, 807 (N.D. 1986); Bauer v. Bauer, 356 N.W.2d 897, 898 (N.D. 1984); Seablom v. Seablom, 348 N.W.2d 920, 924 (N.D. 1984); Nastrom v. Nastrom, 262 N.W.2d 487, 490 (N.D. 1978); Bingert v. Bingert, 247 N.W.2d 464, 468 (N.D. 1976); Nugent v. Nugent, 152 N.W.2d 323, 324 (N.D. 1967).

[¶ 9] This Court first held that remarriage creates a prima facie case to terminate permanent spousal support in Nu-gent, 152 N.W.2d at 327. In Nugent, the parties divorced in July 1964 and the wife remarried in October 1965. Id. at 325. Approximately one month after the wife’s remarriage the husband moved to terminate his spousal support obligation, which was denied. Id. at 327. This Court adopted the rule that remarriage creates a prima facie case to terminate spousal support absent extraordinary circumstances. Id.

[¶ 10] Nugent also addressed whether a trial court has the power to cancel spousal support arrears accrued after a former spouse’s remarriage; in other words, “whether there may be a retrospective modification or termination of installments-of alimony which have accrued following the remarriage of the [recipient spouse].” 152 N.W.2d at 329. This Court answered in the affirmative and held a trial court may grant a retroactive modification or termination of spousal support upon the remarriage of the recipient spouse:

We are of the opinion that the determination of whether [spousal support] payments should be terminated when a divorced [spouse] has remarried, and, if so, when, is within the sound discretion of the trial court; and that unless there is a showing of abuse of this discretion, the trial court’s decision will not be reversed on appeal.

Id. “A district court abuses its discretion if it acts in an arbitrary, unconscionable, or unreasonable manner, if its decision is not the product of a rational mental process leading to a reasonable determination, or if it misinterprets or misapplies the law.” Larson v. Larson, 2016 ND 76, ¶ 32, 878 N.W.2d 54 (quoting Anderson v. Baker, 2015 ND 269, ¶ 7, 871 N.W.2d 830).

[¶ 11] In this case the district court found Lenertz did not demonstrate extraordinary circumstances to justify the continuance of spousal support after her remarriage in September 2002:

Here, due to Sandra’s remarriage, the Court can terminate her spousal support unless she can establish extraordinary circumstances 'justifying continuation of the support. Based upon the evidence submitted, the Court is not persuaded that such extraordinary circumstances exist in this case. From 2002 until 2014, Sandra and her husband, Thomas Len- *888 ertz (“Thomas”), averaged $89,663.00 per year in income, according to their tax returns. Further, Thomas earned over $50,000.00 through July 2015, according to his paystub for Cargill Incorporated. Moreover, the home Sandra and Thomas live in was appraised at $575,000.00 as of October 22,2015, and it is not subject to a mortgage. Sandra no longer has minor children to support, as all of the parties’ children have reached the age of majority. Further, there is no dispute that James has paid all of his child support obligations. Sandra has not asserted any other facts that would justify continuance of spousal support. Accordingly, Sandra has not demonstrated any financial need, let alone a need rising to the level of extraordinary circumstances.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2017 ND 17, 889 N.W.2d 885, 2017 WL 632886, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 27, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glass-v-glass-nd-2017.