Supreme Court of Vermont, 1999

The court held that Vermont’s marriage statutes, read according to their plain meaning and statutory context, did not authorize marriage licenses for same-sex couples. It nevertheless reversed the judgment upholding the exclusion under the Vermont Constitution’s Common Benefits Clause, concluding that same-sex couples…

The court held that the evidence supported a real, substantial, and unanticipated change in circumstances warranting modification of the permanent maintenance award. It nevertheless concluded that reducing the award from $1,800 per week to zero ignored the compensatory purpose of maintenance and therefore exceeded the…

The court affirmed summary judgment denying the sauna operator’s implied-indemnification claim against the manufacturer. The operator bore the burden to establish entitlement to indemnity, and the record showed that it could not establish either that it had not acquiesced in the known danger or that it was only…

The court affirmed Norwich University’s liability for the hazing-related tort claims and the jury’s lost-earning-capacity award, concluding that the evidence supported the verdicts and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying a new trial.

The Court held that Richards could use Rule 75 to obtain judicial review of the selectboard’s quasi-judicial septic-permit decision because he raised a substantial legal question rather than seeking factual review.