In Re the Marriage of Tesch

This is an appeal of an order denying the wife’s motion to set aside a default judgment entered by the District Court of the Ninth Judicial District, Teton County. The default judgment dissolved the parties’ marriage and distributed the main marital asset, the farm, to the husband.

The husband and wife married in 1947. All of the children of the marriage are now past the age of majority.

In 1955, the parties began to farm land known as the Pass-more Place located in Teton County, outside of Choteau, Montana. Initially, they farmed under a partnership-lease agreement with the wife’s brother. In…