[¶ 1] Wendy A. Stone, the surviving spouse of Michael Stone, appeals from a judgment declaring that Michael Stone’s former wife, Joan M. Thomas, was entitled to one-half of the proceeds from a life insurance policy provided by his employer. We conclude the plain and unambiguous language of a divorce decree entitles Thomas to one-half of the insurance proceeds, and we affirm.
I
[¶ 2] Michael Stone and Thomas were divorced in 1995 under a decree that incorporated their custody and property settlement agreement, granted Thomas custody of the parties’ two minor daughters, Brittany and Megan Stone, and required Michael Stone to pay Thomas child and spousal support. The divorce decree required Michael Stone to pay Thomas $2,556 per month in child support until the oldest daughter turned 18 or graduated from high school and thereafter decreased his child support obligation to the then effective guideline amount for one child until the youngest daughter turned 18 or graduated from high school. The decree initially required Michael Stone to pay Thomas $800 per month in spousal support for 12 months and then $500 per month for an additional 24 months.
[¶ 3] Relevant to the claim for the life insurance proceeds, the divorce decree provided:
Life Insurance. Michael [Stone] has certain life insurance provided by his employer, MeritCare Medical Systems. Joan [Thomas] shall remain a beneficiary on one-half of such insurance so long as Michael [Stone] remains obligated by the terms of this stipulation to provide child or spousal support to Joan [Thomas]. Michael [Stone] shall make the children beneficiaries of the remaining one half of the policy. Joan [Thomas] is the owner of a $10,000 term life policy. Joan [Thomas] shall retain Michael [Stone] as a beneficiary on that policy until the children reach the age of majority or are emancipated.
[¶ 4] In July 1996, Michael Stone executed an enrollment form for a $250,000 basic life insurance policy provided by his employer, MeritCare. The enrollment form designated Thomas as a beneficiary for one-half of the policy and his two daughters as joint beneficiaries for the other half of the policy. Michael Stone thereafter married Wendy Stone, and in 1998, he designated her as the beneficiary for the entire life insurance policy provided by MeritCare. In 2002, after the oldest daughter had turned 18 and graduated from high school, Michael Stone and Thomas agreed to an amended judgment that reduced his child support obligation to $1,538 per month, but did not change the
[¶ 5] Michael Stone died on July 8, 2004. When he died, his spousal support obligation had terminated and his child support obligation was scheduled to terminate in August 2004, the date of his last scheduled child support payment for his youngest daughter. When Michael Stone died, Thomas had not yet reimbursed him under the “side agreement” for child support for July 2004, and after an offset for his August 2004, obligation, his net remaining child support obligation was $62.
[¶ 6] The insurer deposited the insurance proceeds with the district court, and Thomas, Brittany Stone, and Megan Stone sued Wendy Stone for a declaration of their rights to the proceeds. The parties agreed there were no factual disputes and submitted the case to the court on the record. The court granted judgment for Thomas and the daughters, concluding the property settlement agreement' and divorce decree clearly and unambiguously entitled Thomas to one-half of the insurance proceeds and the daughters to the other half of the proceeds.
II
[¶ 7] In the district court and on appeal, Wendy Stone does not challenge the daughters’ claim to one-half of the insurance proceeds. Wendy Stone argues, however, the court erred in determining Thomas was entitled to the other one-half of the proceeds, because the divorce decree required Michael Stone to designate Thomas as a beneficiary as security for his child support obligation and he had only one child support payment in the net amount of $62 remaining at the time of his death. Wendy Stone argues Thomas is only entitled to $62 in proceeds from the insurance policy.- Wendy Stone argues awarding Thomas one-half of the insurance proceeds would give her an unintended and inequitable windfall, because the divorce decree required her to be designated as a beneficiary only for so long as Michael Stone’s support obligation remained. Thomas responds the clear and unambiguous language of the divorce decree controls and entitles her to one-half of the proceeds.
[¶ 8] In
Peters-Riemers v. Riemers,
[¶ 9] Generally, insureds are free to designate beneficiaries in their life insurance policies, and the designated beneficiaries are entitled to the proceeds on thé' death of the insured. 4 Lee R. Russ and Thomas F. Segalla,
Couch on Insurance
§ 59:1 (3d ed.2005); 44A Am.Jur.2d
Insurance
§ 1677 (2003L However, an insured’s right to designate beneficiaries may be limited by agreements or court orders relating to marital and family rights. 4 Russ,
Couch on Insurance, supra
§§ 59:1, 59:3, and 64:18; 44A Am. Jur.2d,
supra
§ 1683; John J. Michalik,
[¶ 10] In
Nunn v. Equitable Life Assur. Soc’y,
[¶ 11] In
Sullivan v. Quist,
“The legal operation and effect of a judgment must be ascertained by a construction and interpretation of its terms, and this presents a question of law for the court. If the language used in a judgment is ambiguous there is room for construction, but if the language employed is plain and unambiguous there is no room for construction or interpretation, and the effect thereof must be declared in the light of the literal meaning of the language used.” The judgment “should be so construed as to give effect to each and every part of it, and bring all the different parts into harmony as far as this can be done by fair and reasonable interpretation.” “A judgment, plain and unambiguous in its terms, may not be modified, enlarged, restricted, or diminished by reference to the” Findings of Fact.
[¶ 12] Here, the language of the divorce decree clearly and unambiguously provides that “Joan [Thomas] shall remain a beneficiary on one-half of such insurance so long as Michael [Stone] remains obligated by the terms of this stipulation to provide child or spousal support to Joan.” The decree specifically required Michael Stone to name Thomas as a beneficiary of the life insurance policy for “so long as [he] remains obligated” to provide her child support. The designation of Thomas as beneficiary was not limited to the amount of life insurance proceeds to which she would be entitled, or to the amount of unpaid support; rather the designation limits only the period of time during which she is entitled to be named a beneficiary.
See
[¶ 13] Based on plain language of the judgment, we decline Wendy Stone’s invitation to apply equitable principles to reach a different result. We are bound to follow the divorce decree that unambiguously entitles Thomas to one-half of the proceeds “so long as Michael [Stone] remains obligated ... to provide child or spousal support to Joan” Thomas, Because it is undisputed that Michael Stone remained obligated to provide child support to Thomas at the time of his death, we agree with the district court that Thomas is entitled to one-half of the insurance proceeds under the unambiguous language of the divorce judgment.
Ill
[¶ 14] We affirm the judgment.