Justia Real Estate & Property Law Opinion Summaries

Justin Beckstrand and James Beckstrand, through his surviving spouse, Cynthia, appealed a judgment awarding $164,202.40 in 2015 farm rental payments to Julie Beckstrand, the personal representative of John Beckstrand's estate. The Supreme Court found that because the district court's findings were inadequate to explain the basis for its equitable decision to award the farm rental payments to Julie Beckstrand, it reversed and remanded for the court to explain the rationale for its decision. View "Beckstrand v. Beckstrand" on Justia Law

Kevin and Lynn Klein appealed a judgment dismissing their claims and quieting title to certain real property in Gregory Sletto. The Supreme Court affirmed, concluding the district court did not err in granting summary judgment because the Kleins failed to present any evidence supporting their claims about the existence of a valid contract. View "Klein v. Sletto" on Justia Law

XTO Energy, Inc., appealed and Darwin and Jean Krenz cross-appealed a judgment awarding the Krenzes $800,000 for a pipeline trespass and ordering the parties to abide by certain documents for their future relationship after the district court construed a pipeline easement to authorize one pipeline on the Krenzes' land and found XTO's unauthorized construction and operation of a second pipeline on the Krenzes' land and use of their private road was a trespass. After review of this matter, the North Dakota Supreme Court concluded an April 2007 pipeline easement was ambiguous and the court erred in construing the easement as a matter of law. The Court therefore reversed the trial court's decision construing the pipeline easement and awarding the Krenzes $800,000 for the pipeline trespass and the court's decision requiring the parties to abide by their unexecuted negotiations involving their future relationship. View "Krenz v. XTO Energy, Inc." on Justia Law

Rick Snider and Janan Snider, doing business as RJ Snider Construction ("Snider"), appealed the grant of summary judgment, forfeiting a construction lien against the property that formerly housed the Dickinson Elks Lodge later owned by private investors, the Dickinson Elks Building, LLC ("DEB"), and prohibiting Snider from recording additional liens against the property without performing additional work. The North Dakota Supreme Court was not convinced that perfecting a lien amounted to creating a lien, as argued by the Sniders. As such, the Court concluded that when a Court declares a lien is deemed forfeited or satisfied, the right to the lien for the construction services or materials provided is deemed forfeited, not just the document recording the lien and establishing its priority. The district court correctly interpreted N.D.C.C. 35-27-25 in concluding the statute barred Snider from recording another construction lien against DEB's property for the same work. The district court also correctly concluded Snider forfeited its construction lien created and attached as a matter of law under N.D.C.C. sections 35-27-02 and 35-27-03 when it failed to comply with DEB's demand to enforce the lien. View "Snider v. Dickinson Elks Building, LLC" on Justia Law

La Verne Koenig appealed after a jury found no fault in his personal injury lawsuit against Kenneth Schuh and Jason Schuh. Koenig was injured on a farm owned by Patricia Schuh. Koenig bought hay bales located on the Schuh farm. While tightening a strap securing the hay bales to a trailer, Koenig fell resulting in injury. Koenig sued Kenneth, Jason, Patricia and Mary Schuh alleging their fault in strapping the bales to the trailer. Koenig specifically alleged Jason was negligent in assisting him strapping a bale to the trailer and was acting under the direction of Kenneth and Mary Schuh. He alleged Patricia was liable because she owned the land and had a business relationship with the other Schuh defendants. The district court granted summary judgment to Patricia and Mary Schuh before trial. A jury found no fault on the part of Kenneth and Jason Schuh. Koenig argued on appeal: (1) that the district court erred in granting partial summary judgment to Patricia and Mary; (2) the lack of a trial transcript denied him a fair and full review on appeal; and (3) he did not receive a fair and full jury trial. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Koenig v. Schuh" on Justia Law

Cory Rice appealed a district court's judgment quieting title to real property in Joyce Neether. Rice was Neether's grandson. Neether and her late husband, Alvin Neether, raised Rice at their farm. Alvin was diagnosed with ALS in 2009. Sometime before July 29, 2009, Joyce contacted an attorney to draft a bill of sale for the purchase of personal property and two warranty deeds conveying real property to Rice, reserving a life estate in that property for the Neethers. The attorney met with the Neethers to sign the warranty deeds. At that time, Alvin was terminally ill and, while he was physically unable to sign his own name, the district court found he was mentally competent to transfer property. Joyce had authority through a Power of Attorney to manage Alvin’s real and personal property. Rice was not present when Joyce signed the deeds. The attorney told the Neethers he would record the deeds the following day, July 30, 2009. Before the deeds were recorded, Joyce instructed the attorney not to record the deeds. Joyce never contacted the attorney to either record the deeds or deliver them to Rice. Rice testified that, some time after July 29, 2009, he came to believe he owned the property at issue based on alleged conversations he had with both Alvin and the attorney. Rice claimed the attorney had represented him on other matters prior to 2009. Rice testified that, in 2012, Rice learned a developer planned on building a grocery and liquor store on the property he believed the Neethers had conveyed to him. Rice brought an action in district court to quiet title. The Supreme Court found that Rice failed to establish the deeds were delivered and N.D.C.C. 47-09-06 created a rebuttable presumption that a deed has been delivered at its date only after delivery has been separately established. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the district court’s judgment. View "Rice v. Neether" on Justia Law

Lyndon Fredericks appealed, and Bole Resources, LLC, and others cross-appealed a judgment declaring the district court: had subject-matter jurisdiction over the action, reforming a quit claim mineral deed, quieting title in the mineral interests in Paul Fredericks, and ordering Lyndon Fredericks to pay the Bole defendants damages plus interest and their attorney fees. Because the Supreme Court concluded, after review, the district court correctly ruled it had subject-matter jurisdiction, its findings of fact were not clearly erroneous, and it did not abuse its discretion, it affirmed. View "Fredericks v. Fredericks" on Justia Law

Linda Ketterling was married to Larry Ketterling. They were the co-owners of L & L Rentals, and each owned a fifty percent membership interest in the company. Larry died on July 31, 2014. An application for the informal probate of Larry's will was filed and a personal representative was appointed. In November 2015, the personal representative petitioned for approval of the final accounting, settlement, and distribution of the estate, including distribution of Larry's interest in L & L Rentals to his children. Linda objected to the petition, arguing Larry's interest in the company was not available for distribution because she intended to purchase the interest under the terms of the L & L Rentals operating agreement. In 2016, a bank petitioned for allowance of its claim against the estate for payment of debts, including a loan to L & L Rentals. Linda filed a claim against the estate for amounts she may be required to pay creditors on loans to Larry. Linda then objected to the petition for approval of an amended final accounting and distribution, arguing L & L Rentals was not an estate asset. Linda filed a notice of appeal, stating she was appealing the earlier order. After review, the Supreme Court found that the district court had not ruled on Linda's claim: the petition for approval of the amended final accounting and distribution, or the objection. There were also remaining issues with creditors and the transfer of the ownership interest in L & L Rentals could have been interrelated to these issues. The Supreme Court held that the district court's order was not appealable without Rule 54(b) certification, if it was providently granted. Linda did not request Rule 54(b) certification, and therefore this was not a final, appealable order. Concluding it did not have jurisdiction to hear this appeal, the Supreme Court dismissed. View "Estate of Ketterling" on Justia Law

In August 2014, the First Western Bank and Trust (Bank) applied for two variances from City of Minot zoning regulations for off-street parking after incorrectly calculating the size of an addition to its bank building. The Bank's application sought to reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces for its building from 131 to 110 and to reduce the required width of each parking space from 10 to 9 feet. After notice to the Bank's neighbors, the Minot Planning Commission met to consider the application, and several neighbors appeared to oppose the application. The Planning Commission approved the application, finding the existence of an exceptional topographical hardship and the variances could be granted without substantial detriment to the public good and without impairing the general purpose and intent of Minot's comprehensive zoning plan. The Planning Commission affirmed its earlier decision approving the application. The City Council later affirmed the Planning Commission's decision. Sixteen Minot residents living near the Bank appealed a judgment dismissing their appeal of the City Council’s decision to grant the Bank's application for zoning variances. The residents argued the district court erred in ruling they lacked standing under N.D.C.C. 40-47-12 to appeal the City Council's decision granting the variances. After review, the Supreme Court concluded the district court erred in applying N.D.C.C. 40-47-12 as grounds for its standing decision. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court concluded the residents were not aggrieved applicants authorized to appeal a variance decision under N.D.C.C. 40-47-11. The Court therefore affirmed the judgment dismissing their appeal. View "Schmidt v. City of Minot" on Justia Law

Brian Welken appealed after a jury returned a verdict in favor of Eugene Taszarek, Marlys Taszarek, Trina Schilling, Steven Taszarek, and Michael Taszarek ("Taszareks") and against Lakeview Excavating, Inc., ("Lakeview") and Welken. Lakeview was a corporation primarily involved in flood control projects, and Welken was Lakeview's president and sole shareholder. In the spring of 2012, German Township in Dickey County solicited bids for road construction projects to repair and raise the grade of a road near the Taszareks' property. Lakeview, acting through Welken, successfully bid and was selected as the contractor for the road projects. Lakeview obtained most of its field rock for the project from area farmers and ranchers with rock piles on their properties. Lakeview arranged with landowners to harvest rocks from their fields and reclaim the ground so it could again be farmed, and landowners allowed Lakeview to remove rock piles. Herb Buerkley owned land adjacent to land owned by the Taszareks, and Buerkley permitted Lakeview to enter his family's property to harvest field rock. While harvesting the rock piles from Buerkley's land, Lakeview's employees crossed into the Taszareks' land and harvested field rock. The Taszareks brought an action against both Lakeview and Welken, asserting claims of intentional trespass, conversion, and unjust enrichment arising from Lakeview's work on the German Township road-raising project. The district court held a jury trial on the Taszareks' trespass and conversion claims against Lakeview and Welken. During trial, the Taszareks' attorney asked the court to instruct the jury on the theory that Lakeview was the "alter ego" of Welken and that Welken should therefore be personally liable for any judgment. Over the objection of Welken's attorney, the court gave an instruction regarding the alter ego doctrine. After review, the Supreme Court concluded Welken failed to preserve whether the district court misapplied the law by allowing the jury to resolve whether Lakeview was the alter ego of Welken. Furthermore, the Court concluded that the trial court erred as a matter of law in inadequately instructing the jury regarding the alter ego doctrine. The Court therefore reversed the judgment and remanded for a new trial. View "Taszarek v. Welken" on Justia Law