OPINION
Linda Sue Roberts and her husband, Mitchell Roberts, appeal a judgment of indivisibility and an order of sale of approximately sixty-seven acres of land.
On June 8, 1999, Williams E. Roberts and his wife, Aileen Roberts, Harvey Victor Roberts and his wife, Marsha Roberts, Betty Roberts Williams and her husband, Jesse Williams, Fay Roberts Neely and her husband, Billy Neely, and Gloria Dean Roberts Gay and her husband, James Gay, filed a partition action
On September 29, 1999, the appellees filed another motion seeking order of sale. On October 6, 1999, Linda and Mitchell filed a response objecting to the entry of an order of sale and to the commissioner’s finding that, the property was indivisible. On October 21, 1999, the appellees requested the court adopt the commissioner’s findings and order the property sold.
On November 1, 1999, the court adopted the commissioner’s findings and found the property to be indivisible. The court ordered the property sold by the court’s master commissioner.
Pour issues are raised on appeal: first, whether the court erred in finding that the property is indivisible; second, whether the court erred by relying on the report of the commissioners in finding the property is indivisible; third, whether the court erred in failing to set aside the commissioner’s report due to allegations that one of the commissioners had a conflict of interest; and fourth, whether the court erred in failing to appoint an alternate commissioner.
When the divisibility of property is at issue, the courts are guided by Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 389A.030. Under this statute, such cases are conducted as bench trials.
indivisibility of the real estate shall be presumed unless an issue in respect thereto is raised by the pleading of any party, and if the court is satisfied from the evidence that the property is divisible, without materially impairing the value of any interest therein, division thereof pursuant to KRS 381.135 shall be ordered.
The court’s first consideration is how to apply the presumption. This consideration is governed by operation of Kentucky Rule of Evidence (KRE) 301, which provides as follows:
In all civil actions and proceedings when not otherwise provided for by statute or by these rules, a presumption imposes on the party against whom it is directed the burden of going forward with evidence to rebut or meet the presumption, but does not shift to such party the burden of proof in the sense of the risk of nonpersuasion, which remains throughout the trial upon the party on whom it was originally cast.3
Therefore, the court is to determine from the text of the statute whether KRE 301 will be invoked or whether the statute requires a burden shifting.
We are guided in this analysis by a recent decision of the Supreme Court, Magic Coal Co. v. Fox.
The language of KRS 389A.030(3) does not explicitly shift the risk of nonper-suasion to the opponent of the evidence. Therefore, we conclude the presumption language in KRS 389A.030(3) is also governed by KRE 301.
KRE 301 “addresses only one aspect of the law of presumptions, namely, the issue of whether or not the opponent of a presumption will be required to bear the risk of nonpersuasion ... as to the presumed fact.”
1. When the basic fact giving rise to the presumption has been established, the presumed fact stands as a matter of law unless and until evidence has been introduced which would support9 a contrary finding (or a basic fact giving rise to a contrary presumption has been established).
2. When the basic fact giving rise to the presumption has been established, but evidence has been introduced which would support10 a contrary finding (or a basic fact giving rise to a contrary presumption has been established), then the existence or non-existence of the presumed fact is to be determined exactly as if no presumption had ever been applicable.11
In the case under consideration, the appellees enjoyed the benefit of the presumption created by KRS 389A.030(3). The basic facts giving rise to the presumption were stated in the original complaint: specifically, that two or more people shared title in the property in such a manner that a conveyance by them would pass a fee simple title and that any one or more of them brought an action for the sale of the land in the circuit court of the county in which the land lies.
Having concluded that the court’s finding of indivisibility was not error, we need not consider whether the court erred in relying on the report of the commissioners in finding the property was indivisible. This was a mere surplusage. However, we caution that we find no basis in the statute for this practice. Thé use of commissioners is mandated under KRS 389A.030(3) only if the court is satisfied that the property is divisible.
We conclude that the remaining issues, concerning an allegation that one of the commissioners had a conflict of interest, are harmless error for the same reason and thus must be disregarded.
ALL CONCUR.
. See Ky.Rev.Stat. (KRS) 389A.030.
. See KRS 389A.030(1).
. Emphasis supplied.
.Ky., 19 S.W.3d 88 (2000).
. Id. at 95.
. Emphasis supplied.
. Robert G. Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook § 10.05, at p. 547 (3d ed.1993).
. Id. at 546.
. Emphasis in original.
. Emphasis in original.
. Commonwealth Life Insurance Co. v. Hall, Ky., 517 S.W.2d 488, 493 (1974).
. See KRS 389A.030(1).
. KRS 389A.030(3). (Emphasis supplied.)
. Commonwealth Life Insurance Co., supra, n. 11, at 493.
.Ky.R.Civ.Proc. (CR) 61.01.
