Jordet v. Jordet

2015 ND 73, 861 N.W.2d 154, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 63, 2015 WL 1300042
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 24, 2015
Docket20140232
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2015 ND 73 (Jordet v. Jordet) 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
Jordet v. Jordet, 2015 ND 73, 861 N.W.2d 154, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 63, 2015 WL 1300042 (N.D. 2015).

Opinion

SANDSTROM, Justice.

[¶ 1] Bradley Jordet appeals from district court orders consolidating cases, adopting a judicial referee’s decision denying his request for a money judgment against Tracy Jordet, and denying his motion for a new trial or amended findings. Bradley Jordet argues the district court erred in consolidating his action for reimbursement with the divorce and he was entitled to a default judgment on his motion for entry of a money judgment. We dismiss the appeal, concluding we do not have jurisdiction to consider the appeal because Bradley Jordet did not appeal from a final, appealable order.

I

[¶ 2] In December 2010, Bradley and Tracy Jordet divorced. Bradley Jordet was awarded primary residential responsibility of the parties’ two minor children, and Tracy Jordet was ordered to pay child support. The parties were ordered to equally divide the minor children’s uncovered medical expenses. The divorce judgment also divided the parties’ assets and debts. Tracy Jordet was awarded the parties’ lake property in Minnesota and was ordered to pay certain debts, including the mortgage on the lake property, a Chase account, and an MBNA account. The judgment included a provision stating, “Hold Harmless and Indemnify. If either party shall be required to pay any debt, liability, mortgage or lien that the other party agreed or assumed to pay, the paying party shall be held harmless and shall be indemnified by the other party for said payments including appropriate costs and attorney’s fees.”

[¶ 3] In 2012, Bradley Jordet sued Tracy Jordet for reimbursement under the indemnity provision of the divorce judgment in a separate action. He claimed he was entitled to reimbursement under the indemnity provision because he paid $7,746.42 in debts and expenses for Tracy Jordet’s benefit prior to February 2011, including insurance for the lake property, insurance for Tracy Jordet’s vehicle, utilities for the lake property, the Chase and MBNA accounts, the mortgage on the lake property, Tracy Jordet’s portion of the *157 children’s medical expenses, and medical expenses attributable to Tracy Jordet.

[¶ 4] Tracy Jordet answered and counterclaimed, denying all of Bradley Jordet’s allegations. She claimed she did not owe the money Bradley Jordet alleged and his claim about these amounts were already resolved in the divorce, and she requested attorney’s fees and sanctions. She moved for summary judgment, arguing the issues were addressed and adjudicated with finality in the divorce and Bradley Jordet’s claim should be dismissed because it is barred by res judicata and collateral estop-pel. She alternatively argued the claims should be dismissed under N.D.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) for failing to state a valid claim, because Bradley Jordet failed to provide proper documentation of his claim and provide sufficient evidence of the amounts allegedly owed to him. She submitted exhibits in support of her motion. Tracy Jordet also moved for sanctions under N.D.R.Civ.P. 11.

[¶ 5] Bradley Jordet responded to the motion for summary judgment, arguing there has never been a judicial determination Tracy Jordet does not owe the amounts he alleged. He also argued her pleadings were frivolous and he requested attorney’s fees and other expenses under N.D.C.C. §§ 28-26-01(2) and 28-26-81.

[¶ 6] Tracy Jordet moved to consolidate the action for reimbursement with the divorce, arguing the two cases concern the same matter and the issues raised in the reimbursement action were addressed in the divorce. Bradley Jordet objected to the motion, arguing there was no common question of law or fact in the cases, the judgment is final in the divorce, and neither party has sought to reopen the divorce judgment. After a hearing, the district court granted Tracy Jordet’s motion and consolidated the actions. All of the documents from the reimbursement action were re-filed in the divorce case.

[¶ 7] Tracy Jordet’s attorney moved to withdraw as her attorney of record, and the district court granted the motion.

[¶ 8] Bradley Jordet moved for a money judgment, seeking an order finding Tracy Jordet indebted to him with an obligation to reimburse him under the indemnity provision of the divorce judgment. He submitted an affidavit in support of his motion, alleging he paid certain amounts for Tracy Jordet’s benefit and she has not reimbursed him for any of the amounts he paid, and he requested $1,500 in attorney’s fees. He did not request a hearing on his motion. He submitted a proposed order for signature by the district court judge or judicial referee and a. proposed judgment. Tracy Jordet did not file a response to his motion.

[¶ 9] The judicial referee denied Bradley Jordet’s motion, finding he failed to meet his burden of proof. The referee found the indemnification provision of the divorce judgment states a party may be indemnified for expenses the party was required to pay, the divorce judgment does not specifically state either party is required to pay the lake property or automobile insurance, or the utilities for the lake property, and Bradley Jordet did not establish he had an obligation to pay these amounts. The referee found there was no evidence when the debts were allegedly paid and there was no evidence Bradley Jordet was required to pay any of the expenses. • The referee also ordered each party be responsible for their own costs, expenses, and attorney’s fees.

[¶ 10] Bradley Jordet requested the district court review the referee’s decision, arguing the referee did not have jurisdiction, both parties previously requested the district court decide all matters in the action, and he is entitled to a default judg *158 ment because Tracy Jordet did not respond to his motion. The district court found the referee had jurisdiction and Bradley Jordet consented to the referee hearing the matter. The judge conducted a de novo review of the record and adopted the referee’s decision. The judge found the divorce judgment required Tracy Jor-det pay the Chase and MBNA accounts, but the judgment did not specifically require either party pay the lake property and automobile insurance or utilities for the lake property, and there was nothing in the judgment requiring Bradley Jordet pay any of the expenses that were Tracy Jordet’s responsibility. The court found any amounts Bradley Jordet paid were paid voluntarily because he did not establish he had any obligation to pay the expenses.

[¶ 11] Bradley Jordet moved for a new trial or for amended or additional findings. The court denied the motion, stating it was treating Bradley Jordet’s motion as a motion for reconsideration.

II

[¶ 12] .Before we can address the merits of an appeal, we decide whether this Court has jurisdiction. The right to appeal is jurisdictional, and we will consider the appealability of an order on our own initiative even if neither party questions the appealability. In re Estate of Hollingsworth, 2012 ND 16, ¶ 7, 809 N.W.2d 328.

[¶ 13] The right to appeal is governed by statute, and without a statutory basis to hear an appeal, we do not have jurisdiction and we must dismiss the appeal. Mann v. N.D. Tax. Com’r, 2005 ND 36, ¶ 7, 692 N.W.2d 490. We apply a two-part test to decide whether we have jurisdiction over an appeal:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

ND Indoor RV Park v. State
2025 ND 92 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2025)
Dellinger v. Wolf
2020 ND 112 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2020)
Kettle Butte Trucking LLC v. Steven A. Kelly & Spirit Energy LLC
2018 ND 110 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2018)
Peterson v. Schulz
2017 ND 155 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2017)
Everett v. State
2017 ND 93 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2017)
Snider v. Dickinson Elks Building, LLC
2016 ND 162 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2015 ND 73, 861 N.W.2d 154, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 63, 2015 WL 1300042, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jordet-v-jordet-nd-2015.