Justia South Dakota Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court’s denial of Landowners’ request that the State pay reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses pursuant to S.D. Codified Laws 5-2-18 and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act (URA), 42 U.S.C. 4601-4655, after Landowners prevailed against the State on their claim of inverse condemnation. On appeal, Landowners argued that they were entitled to recovery of attorney’s fees and litigation expenses under section 5-2-18 because they prevailed on their inverse condemnation claim, asserting that the legislature intended to adopt by reference the URA when it enacted section 5-2-18. The Supreme Court held that the circuit court did not err in denying Landowners’ motion for attorney’s fees and expenses because, while section 5-2-18 incorporates by reference the provisions of the URA, its application is permissive rather than mandatory. View "Long v. State" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court convicting Defendant of first-degree murder and sentencing him to mandatory life in prison. The court held (1) the circuit court did not err in its evidentiary rulings that Defendant consented to the seizure of his property from the hospital and that the revocation of that consent did not require the return of his property; (2) the circuit court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion to suppress evidence seized at Defendant’s friend’s house; (3) the circuit court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted twenty-six autopsy photographs during the trial; (4) the circuit court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion for a new trial on his claim of improper burden shifting; and (5) the evidence was sufficient to support Defendant’s conviction. View "State v. Hemminger" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court in favor of Landowners on their inverse condemnation claim against the State seeking damages and a permanent injunction due to flooding on Landowners’ properties. The court held (1) the circuit court did not err in refusing to dismiss Landowners’ inverse condemnation claims based upon the doctrine of sovereign immunity; (2) the circuit court did not err in its determination that the State’s actions caused water to invade and damage Landowners’ properties in violation of S.D. Const. art. VI, 13; (3) the State was not entitled to filed a cross-claim against the City of Sioux Falls for contribution under the Joint Tortfeasor Act; and (4) the State did not acquire a drainage easement over Landowners’ real estate. View "Long v. State" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded the circuit court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of AutoTrac Inc. on Varner Beals’s tort claim of deceit and Beals’s contract claims of fraud and undue influence. The court held (1) AutoTrac was entitled to summary judgment on Beals’s fraud claim because Beals failed to assert specific facts supporting his conclusory allegation that AutoTrac failed to disclose a debt; (2) summary judgment was appropriate on Beals’s claim because Beals’s conclusory allegations were not supported by specific, factual assertions, and Beals’s own deposition testimony defeated his claim; and (3) the circuit court erred by granting summary judgment on Beals’s claim of undue influence because the factual assertions raised by Beals’s raised a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether Defendant took advantage of Beals’s “weakness of mind.” View "Beals v. Autotrac, Inc." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the circuit court’s order refusing to terminate an irrevocable trust and granted summary judgment in favor of the trustees. The sole beneficiary of the trust sought to terminate the trust and requested that the court distribute the assets to her. The beneficiary also alleged that the trustees had breached their fiduciary duties. The circuit court declined to terminate the trust. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the circuit court erred in finding the trust to be unambiguous; and (2) the circuit court erred in not terminating the trust and distributing the trust property to the beneficiary because the trust purpose had been fulfilled and because termination of the trust would “substantially further the trustee’s purposes in creating the trust.” View "In re Guardianship & Conservatorship of Novotny" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court in this divorce case awarding Husband his interest in an LLC, requiring Husband to pay twenty-five percent of Wife’s student-loan debt, and ordering Husband to make a cash-equalization payment.Husband appealed the judgment, arguing that the circuit court erred in its division of the marital property. The Supreme Court held that the circuit court (1) did not err in valuing Husband’s interest in an LLC; (2) did not abuse its discretion in awarding Wife one-half the value of the marital assets; and (3) did not abuse its discretion in making Husband responsible for twenty-five percent of Wife’s student-loan debt. View "Richarz v. Richarz" on Justia Law

The circuit court erred when it applied de novo review to a decision of the America Township Board of Supervisors and then reversed the Board’s decision downgrading a seven-mile stretch of road from full maintenance to minimum maintenance. A portion of the road at issue provided Appellees access to South Dakota Highway 50. Appellees appealed the Board’s decision. The circuit court reversed the Board’s decision and ordered that minimum maintenance signs be taken down. The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed and remanded in part, holding (1) Appellees’ lawsuit was not barred by lack of standing or by sovereign immunity; (2) the circuit court did not err in concluding that the Board acted arbitrarily because the Board failed to consider an important aspect of the issue under S.D. Codified Laws 31-13-1.1; but (3) the circuit court should have remanded the matter back to the Board for a rehearing rather than applying de novo review to the Board’s decision. View "Surat v. America Township" on Justia Law

In this insurance dispute, the Supreme Court reversed the circuit court’s order granting summary judgment for TSP, Inc. and remanded for entry of summary judgment in favor of Western National Mutual Insurance Co.Western National insured BHI Inc. under a commercial general liability (CGL) policy. This dispute arose after the land surveyor hired for a project in which BHI served as the general contractor and TSP served as the architect made a surveying error. To compensate for the error, BHI and TSP agreed to provide the funds to complete the project. TSP, however, paid the entire amount and subsequently sued BHI for damages. Western National refused to provide a defense, and after BHI and TSP settled the case, BHI agreed that TSP could pursue any potential remedy against Western National that BHI might have under the CGL policy. Western National then brought a declaratory judgment action against TSP seeking a judgment that the CGL did not provide coverage for TSP’s claims. The circuit court granted summary judgment for TSP. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that a “designated professional services endorsement” in the policy excluded all potential coverage for any property damage caused by the land-surveying error. View "Western National Mutual Insurance Co. v. TSP, Inc." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the habeas court’s denial of Appellant’s petition for habeas corpus relief.Appellant pleaded guilty but mentally ill to first-degree manslaughter and to second-degree rape. The circuit court imposed a 130-year sentence for first-degree manslaughter and a forty-five-year sentence for second-degree rape. The Supreme Court affirmed on appeal. Thereafter, Appellant filed a petition for habeas relief, arguing, inter alia, that he was deprived of effective assistance of counsel and was compelled to give testimony against himself where the court ordered a psychological examination and where his attorney failed to warn Appellant that statements made to the examiner could be used against him. The habeas court denied Appellant’s petition. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Appellant waived his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by failing to invoke it during the psychological examination, and Appellant was not deprived of effective assistance of counsel; and (2) Appellant was not deprived of due process, nor was his counsel ineffective for failing to request a hearing to determine if Appellant should receive provisional institutionalization under S.D. Codified Laws 23A-27-42 View "Iannarelli v. Young" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court’s denial of Mother’s motion for a change of custody in which she sought primary physical custody of the parties’ son.When Mother and Father divorced, they agreed to share legal custody of their son and daughter, with Father having primary physical custody of the son (Son), and Mother having primary physical custody of the daughter. Mother later filed a motion for temporary physical custody of Son after he suffered an asthmatic episode, arguing that Son’s health was imperiled by Father’s long-standing smoking habit. The circuit court denied the motion. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the circuit court (1) did not err in determining that Son’s interests were better served by remaining in Father’s physical custody; and (2) did not abuse its discretion by ordering Mother to pay Father’s attorney fees. View "Moulton v. Moulton" on Justia Law