LAW.coLAW.co

LIZAKOWSKI v. State of North Dakota, Statutory Real Party in Interest (2021)

Supreme Court of North Dakota.2021-05-06No. No. 20200269

Summary

Holding. The amended divorce judgment is affirmed. The court awards double costs and attorneys fees to Tonia Lizakowski in the amount of $500.

Adam Lizakowski appealed an amended divorce judgment for the second time, challenging the district court's subject matter jurisdiction, the division of marital property, the award of primary residential responsibility to his former spouse Tonia, and the award of attorneys fees to Tonia. The court determined that the jurisdiction issue had been implicitly resolved and rejected in the first appeal, making it barred from reconsideration under the law of the case doctrine. Similarly, the custody/residential responsibility issue had already been decided in the first appeal and could not be relitigated.

On the merits of the property distribution on remand, the court found no clear error in the district court's recalculation and redistribution of marital assets. The court also found no abuse of discretion in the award of attorneys fees. Although the amended judgment contained inconsistent language regarding student loan responsibility in one section, the operative provision in the judgment itself correctly allocated the student loans only to Tonia, so no correction was necessary. The court summarily affirmed the entire amended judgment and awarded the prevailing party double costs and attorneys fees.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether the law of the case doctrine bars relitigation of subject matter jurisdiction
  • Whether the law of the case doctrine bars relitigation of primary residential responsibility
  • Whether the district court's property division on remand was clearly erroneous
  • Whether conflicting language in the amended judgment and findings required reversal

Procedural posture

This is the second appeal in the divorce proceeding, following remand from the court's first appellate decision which reversed the property distribution while upholding the residential responsibility award and attorneys fees determination.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

[¶1] Adam Lizakowski appealed from an amended divorce judgment, arguing the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction, and erred in distributing the marital property, awarding Tonia Lizakowski primary residential responsibility, and awarding Tonia Lizakowski attorneys fees. We summarily affirm under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2), (4), and (7), and award costs and attorneys fees.

I

[¶2] This is the second appeal of the parties’ divorce judgment. See Lizakowski v. Lizakowski, 2019 ND 177, 930 N.W.2d 609. In the first appeal, Adam Lizakowski similarly argued the district court erred in distributing the marital property, awarding Tonia Lizakowski primary residential responsibility, and awarding Tonia Lizakowski attorneys fees. Id. at ¶ 1. At oral argument in the first appeal, he asserted the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. We affirmed the award of primary residential responsibility to Tonia Lizakowski, id. at ¶ 16, reversed and remanded the property distribution, id. at ¶ 12, and concluded the district court did not abuse its discretion on attorneys fees, id. at ¶ 22. However, in light of reversing the property distribution, we stated that “the court may reconsider its award of attorneys fees on remand.” Id. at ¶ 23. On remand, the district court recalculated and redistributed the marital property, and concluded its award of attorneys fees stood as previously ordered.

II

[¶3] Adam Lizakowski conceded at oral argument that subject matter jurisdiction was raised in the first appeal. We rejected that argument in the first appeal in general fashion. See Lizakowski, 2019 ND 177, ¶ 24, 930 N.W.2d 609 (stating that “[w]e have considered the parties’ remaining arguments and conclude they are either without merit or unnecessary to our decision”). Accordingly, we conclude that implicit within our prior decision was the determination that the district court had subject matter jurisdiction, and Adam Lizakowskis argument to the contrary was without merit. The issue is now barred by the law of the case doctrine. See Matter of Estate of Johnson, 2017 ND 162, ¶ 11, 897 N.W.2d 921 (cleaned up) (stating that “[u]nder the law of the case doctrine, a party cannot on a second appeal relitigate issues which were resolved by the Court in the first appeal or which would have been resolved had they been properly presented in the first appeal”); Lee v. Lee, 2007 ND 147, ¶ 10, 738 N.W.2d 479 (applying the law of the case doctrine to the issue of subject matter jurisdiction).

[¶4] Further, primary residential responsibility of the children was addressed in the first appeal, and is barred by the law of the case doctrine. See Matter of Estate of Johnson, 2017 ND 162, ¶ 11, 897 N.W.2d 921. We conclude the district courts property division on remand was not clearly erroneous, and the court did not abuse its discretion in awarding Tonia Lizakowski attorneys fees.

[¶5] Adam Lizakowski argues the Amended Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Amended Judgment incorrectly provides that the parties shall be equally responsible for certain student loans, even though the district court ordered otherwise in its Order on Remand. That is the case. However, the amended divorce judgment correctly provides in the “Marital Debt” section that Tonia Lizakowski is liable for her student loans, without any portion attributed to Adam Lizakowski. Because the language in the amended judgment controls, no correction is needed, and reversal is unwarranted. See Serr v. Serr, 2008 ND 56, ¶ 12, 746 N.W.2d 416 (stating that “if there is a conflict between a judgment and an order for judgment, the judgment controls”).

[¶6] We summarily affirm under N.D.R.App.P. 35.1(a)(2), (4), and (7).

III

[¶7] Tonia Lizakowski moved for reasonable costs and attorneys fees under N.D.R.App.P. 38, which provides, “If the court determines that an appeal is frivolous, or that any party has been dilatory in prosecuting the appeal, it may award just damages and single or double costs, including reasonable attorneys fees.” We award Tonia Lizakowski double costs and attorneys fees in the amount of $500.

IV

[¶8] The amended divorce judgment is summarily affirmed, and Tonia Lizakowski is awarded double costs and attorneys fees in the amount of $500.

VandeWalle, Justice.

[¶9] Jon J. Jensen, C.J.

Gerald W. VandeWalle

Jerod E. Tufte

Gail Hagerty, S.J.

Carol Ronning Kapsner, S.J.[¶10] The Honorable Gail Hagerty, S.J., and the Honorable Carol Ronning Kapsner, S.J., sitting in place of Crothers, J., and McEvers, J., disqualified.