This opinion is nonprecedential except as provided by Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. 1(c).
STATE OF MINNESOTA IN COURT OF APPEALS A25-1184
In Re the Marriage of:
Emily Brasel Brown, petitioner, Respondent,
vs.
Iyulli Ben Hyyiah Brown, Appellant.
Filed April 6, 2026 Affirmed Reyes, Judge
Dakota County District Court File No. 19WS-FA-23-1362
Emily Brasel Brown, West St. Paul, Minnesota (self-represented respondent)
Brian Stanley, RWI Law, PLLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota (for appellant)
Considered and decided by Harris, Presiding Judge; Reyes, Judge; and Bond, Judge.
NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINION
REYES, Judge
Following marital-dissolution proceedings, appellant-father challenges the district
court’s business valuation, child-support award, and division of retirement assets. We
affirm. FACTS
In December 2023, respondent-mother Emily Brasel Brown petitioned for a
dissolution of marriage from appellant-father Iyulli Ben Hyyiah Brown. Mother requested,
among other things, child support and all right and title to her business. Both parties filed
parenting/financial disclosure statements. See Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 305.01.
The district court held a court trial in the dissolution proceeding. At trial, mother
testified that she owns a hair-cutting business named “HairEm” for which she rents a chair
in a salon. Mother testified that her business does not own any property other than a
business checking account, which she uses for all business deposits and expenses, as well
as “hair color, a few appliances, and tools, and some decor.” When mother offered into
evidence a bank statement showing a balance of approximately $2,200 in the business
checking account, father objected, asserting: “The valuation of the company [according
to] the industry standard is six times [its] annual sales, not the amount of money in the
checking account.” The district court admitted the bank statement over father’s objection.
Following trial, the district court entered a final judgment and decree (J&D). As
relevant to this appeal, the J&D ordered father to pay child support, awarded mother “her
entire right, title and interest in and to” her business, and divided the value of two of father’s
retirement accounts between the parties. Father appealed, and this court stayed the appeal
pending mediation. Following a mediation-exemption request, we dissolved the stay.
This appeal now proceeds for a determination on the merits. 1
1 Mother did not file a brief with this court. By order, this court ordered this appeal to proceed pursuant to Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 142.03, which provides that, if the respondent
2 DECISION
Father challenges the district court’s (1) business valuation; (2) child-support
award; and (3) division of retirement assets. We address each argument in turn.
I. The district court did not clearly err when valuing mother’s business.
Father argues that the district court clearly erred by valuing mother’s business based
solely on a business checking account without consideration of market value, goodwill, or
mother’s earning potential. We are not persuaded.
“Determining the specific value of an asset is a finding of fact” that appellate courts
review for clear error. Maurer v. Maurer, 623 N.W.2d 604, 606 (Minn. 2001). A finding
of fact is clearly erroneous if the reviewing court is “left with the definite and firm
conviction that a mistake has been made.” Rasmussen v. Two Harbors Fish Co., 832
N.W.2d 790, 797 (Minn. 2013) (quotation omitted).
Generally, appellate courts may consider only issues that were presented to and
considered by the district court. Thiele v. Stich, 425 N.W.2d 580, 582 (Minn. 1988); see
also Smith v. Kessen, 996 N.W.2d 581, 590 (Minn. App. 2023) (applying this aspect of
Thiele to family law case), rev. denied (Minn. Jan. 31, 2024). Nor, on appeal, may a party
raise an issue that was presented to the district court, but argue that issue on a theory not
presented to the district court. Thiele, 425 N.W.2d at 582.
The district court valued the business checking account based on the account
balance listed in the bank statement and found that “[t]he business own[ed] nominal other
does not file and serve a brief, “the case shall be determined on the merits.” See Brown v. Brown, No. A25-1184 (Minn. App. Dec. 10, 2025).
3 equipment and product as one would find in a salon.” The district court then awarded
mother the business checking account in addition to “all goodwill, . . . and assets and
liabilities of any nature associated [with the business].”
While father raised to the district court the issue of market value by stating that
mother’s business should be valued at “six times [its] annual sales,” he provided no support
for this assertion. Because father did not present to the district court any evidence of the
business’s market value on which it could rely, we conclude that the district court’s
findings are not clearly erroneous. See Eisenschenk v. Eisenschenk, 668 N.W.2d 235, 243
(Minn. App. 2003) (“On appeal, a party cannot complain about a district court’s failure to
rule in [their] favor when one of the reasons it did not do so is because that party failed to
provide the district court with the evidence that would allow the district court to fully
address the question.”), rev. denied (Minn. Nov. 25, 2003).
Regarding the issues of goodwill and earning potential, father did not raise these
issues to the district court. We therefore decline to consider them for the first time on
appeal.
II. Father did not preserve his child-support challenge.
Father argues that the district court abused its discretion because it did not consider
his “mental and chemical health circumstances when imputing income for child-support
calculation.” We are not convinced.
In district court, father testified that he was terminated from his job of 18 years and
that his future income could be limited because he did not have a master’s degree and
would be starting a new job without the same level of seniority. Father neither argued nor
4 provided evidence addressing his mental and chemical health in district court. Father’s
mental- and chemical-health-based argument to this court on the issue of child support
therefore presents a theory that he did not present to the district court. As a result, it is not
properly before us, and we decline to address it. See Thiele, 425 N.W.2d 582; Eisenschenk,
668 N.W.2d at 243.
III. Father inadequately briefed the issue of retirement assets.
Lastly, father argues that the district court abused its discretion when it divided
retirement assets because its order “fail[ed] to provide any account of why it reduced”
mother’s retirement-asset award by 25%. Father’s argument fails.
Appellate courts need not address questions that are inadequately briefed. See State,
Dep’t of Lab. & Indus. v. Wintz Parcel Drivers, Inc., 558 N.W.2d 480, 480 (Minn. 1997)
(declining to review question that was not adequately briefed); Brodsky v.
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This opinion is nonprecedential except as provided by Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. 1(c).
STATE OF MINNESOTA IN COURT OF APPEALS A25-1184
In Re the Marriage of:
Emily Brasel Brown, petitioner, Respondent,
vs.
Iyulli Ben Hyyiah Brown, Appellant.
Filed April 6, 2026 Affirmed Reyes, Judge
Dakota County District Court File No. 19WS-FA-23-1362
Emily Brasel Brown, West St. Paul, Minnesota (self-represented respondent)
Brian Stanley, RWI Law, PLLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota (for appellant)
Considered and decided by Harris, Presiding Judge; Reyes, Judge; and Bond, Judge.
NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINION
REYES, Judge
Following marital-dissolution proceedings, appellant-father challenges the district
court’s business valuation, child-support award, and division of retirement assets. We
affirm. FACTS
In December 2023, respondent-mother Emily Brasel Brown petitioned for a
dissolution of marriage from appellant-father Iyulli Ben Hyyiah Brown. Mother requested,
among other things, child support and all right and title to her business. Both parties filed
parenting/financial disclosure statements. See Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 305.01.
The district court held a court trial in the dissolution proceeding. At trial, mother
testified that she owns a hair-cutting business named “HairEm” for which she rents a chair
in a salon. Mother testified that her business does not own any property other than a
business checking account, which she uses for all business deposits and expenses, as well
as “hair color, a few appliances, and tools, and some decor.” When mother offered into
evidence a bank statement showing a balance of approximately $2,200 in the business
checking account, father objected, asserting: “The valuation of the company [according
to] the industry standard is six times [its] annual sales, not the amount of money in the
checking account.” The district court admitted the bank statement over father’s objection.
Following trial, the district court entered a final judgment and decree (J&D). As
relevant to this appeal, the J&D ordered father to pay child support, awarded mother “her
entire right, title and interest in and to” her business, and divided the value of two of father’s
retirement accounts between the parties. Father appealed, and this court stayed the appeal
pending mediation. Following a mediation-exemption request, we dissolved the stay.
This appeal now proceeds for a determination on the merits. 1
1 Mother did not file a brief with this court. By order, this court ordered this appeal to proceed pursuant to Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 142.03, which provides that, if the respondent
2 DECISION
Father challenges the district court’s (1) business valuation; (2) child-support
award; and (3) division of retirement assets. We address each argument in turn.
I. The district court did not clearly err when valuing mother’s business.
Father argues that the district court clearly erred by valuing mother’s business based
solely on a business checking account without consideration of market value, goodwill, or
mother’s earning potential. We are not persuaded.
“Determining the specific value of an asset is a finding of fact” that appellate courts
review for clear error. Maurer v. Maurer, 623 N.W.2d 604, 606 (Minn. 2001). A finding
of fact is clearly erroneous if the reviewing court is “left with the definite and firm
conviction that a mistake has been made.” Rasmussen v. Two Harbors Fish Co., 832
N.W.2d 790, 797 (Minn. 2013) (quotation omitted).
Generally, appellate courts may consider only issues that were presented to and
considered by the district court. Thiele v. Stich, 425 N.W.2d 580, 582 (Minn. 1988); see
also Smith v. Kessen, 996 N.W.2d 581, 590 (Minn. App. 2023) (applying this aspect of
Thiele to family law case), rev. denied (Minn. Jan. 31, 2024). Nor, on appeal, may a party
raise an issue that was presented to the district court, but argue that issue on a theory not
presented to the district court. Thiele, 425 N.W.2d at 582.
The district court valued the business checking account based on the account
balance listed in the bank statement and found that “[t]he business own[ed] nominal other
does not file and serve a brief, “the case shall be determined on the merits.” See Brown v. Brown, No. A25-1184 (Minn. App. Dec. 10, 2025).
3 equipment and product as one would find in a salon.” The district court then awarded
mother the business checking account in addition to “all goodwill, . . . and assets and
liabilities of any nature associated [with the business].”
While father raised to the district court the issue of market value by stating that
mother’s business should be valued at “six times [its] annual sales,” he provided no support
for this assertion. Because father did not present to the district court any evidence of the
business’s market value on which it could rely, we conclude that the district court’s
findings are not clearly erroneous. See Eisenschenk v. Eisenschenk, 668 N.W.2d 235, 243
(Minn. App. 2003) (“On appeal, a party cannot complain about a district court’s failure to
rule in [their] favor when one of the reasons it did not do so is because that party failed to
provide the district court with the evidence that would allow the district court to fully
address the question.”), rev. denied (Minn. Nov. 25, 2003).
Regarding the issues of goodwill and earning potential, father did not raise these
issues to the district court. We therefore decline to consider them for the first time on
appeal.
II. Father did not preserve his child-support challenge.
Father argues that the district court abused its discretion because it did not consider
his “mental and chemical health circumstances when imputing income for child-support
calculation.” We are not convinced.
In district court, father testified that he was terminated from his job of 18 years and
that his future income could be limited because he did not have a master’s degree and
would be starting a new job without the same level of seniority. Father neither argued nor
4 provided evidence addressing his mental and chemical health in district court. Father’s
mental- and chemical-health-based argument to this court on the issue of child support
therefore presents a theory that he did not present to the district court. As a result, it is not
properly before us, and we decline to address it. See Thiele, 425 N.W.2d 582; Eisenschenk,
668 N.W.2d at 243.
III. Father inadequately briefed the issue of retirement assets.
Lastly, father argues that the district court abused its discretion when it divided
retirement assets because its order “fail[ed] to provide any account of why it reduced”
mother’s retirement-asset award by 25%. Father’s argument fails.
Appellate courts need not address questions that are inadequately briefed. See State,
Dep’t of Lab. & Indus. v. Wintz Parcel Drivers, Inc., 558 N.W.2d 480, 480 (Minn. 1997)
(declining to review question that was not adequately briefed); Brodsky v. Brodsky, 733
N.W.2d 471, 479 (Minn. App. 2007) (applying Wintz in family law appeal).
Here, the district court reviewed two of father’s retirement accounts, calculated the
nonmarital and marital values of each, and then awarded each party a portion of each
account. 2 The district court attached a worksheet to its order to explain its calculations. In
relevant part, the district court calculated a total value of $85,859.05 for the two accounts,
which included a marital value of $81,785.17. The district court awarded mother the full
marital value of these accounts “plus/minus market gains and losses.” Pursuant to a
comment in the worksheet labeled “25% reduction,” the district court calculated mother’s
2 The J&D mentioned a third retirement account, awarded through a separate domestic- relations order, but the division of that property is not at issue on appeal.
5 final award from these two accounts as $61,338.90. The district court awarded father the
full nonmarital share, $4,073.88, without any similar reduction. Other than these awards,
the district court awarded father “all right, title, interest and equity . . . in and to” these
retirement accounts.
It is unclear why father challenges the reduction of mother’s award. Father does not
explain what prejudice he suffered by this determination. His argument is therefore
insufficient to obtain relief on appeal. See Loth v. Loth, 35 N.W.2d 542, 546 (Minn. 1949)
(stating appellate courts do not assume district court error); Luthen v. Luthen, 596 N.W.2d
278, 283 (Minn. App. 1999) (applying Loth); Minn. R. Civ. P. 61 (requiring reviewing
court to ignore harmless error); Hesse v. Hesse, 778 N.W.2d 98, 105 (Minn. App. 2009)
(noting that reviewing courts ignore even prejudicial error when prejudice is de minimis).
In addition, father does not cite any relevant caselaw to support his request to
remand the issue for “proper consideration.” He relies on two spousal-maintenance cases
to argue that an appellate court will “consistently” remand “for abuse of discretion when it
finds the district court has failed to make adequate findings.” But in the first case, Tuthill
v. Tuthill, we affirmed the district court’s exercise of discretion. 399 N.W.2d 230, 233
(Minn. App. 1987). And in the second case, Stevens v. Stevens, we remanded a spousal-
maintenance award because the district court “failed to make any of the findings” required
by a spousal-maintenance statute. 501 N.W.2d 634, 637 (Minn. App. 1993) (citing Minn.
Stat. § 518.552, subd. 2 (1992)). Father does not explain what findings the district court
needed to make in the context of dividing retirement assets here, nor what would make
6 those findings “adequate.” Because this issue is inadequately briefed, we decline to address
its merits. See Wintz, 558 N.W.2d at 480; Brodsky, 733 N.W.2d at 479.
Affirmed.