Mortensen v. Mortensen

HOWE, Associate Chief Justice:

This case presents for determination the question of what disposition should be made in a divorce decree of property given to one of the parties to the marriage by his or her family during the course of the marriage.

Plaintiff Hermona Jane Mortensen and defendant Kay Sherman Mortensen were married on June 18, 1959, when they were eighteen and nineteen years of age, respectively. Neither brought any substantial assets into the marriage. In 1969, defendant’s parents, who owned a farm, organized a corporation to which they conveyed the farm. They issued 50 percent of…