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Court of Appeals Opinions

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Opinion Policies

Minnesota Court of Appeals opinions are issued weekly and are available to the public at 10:00 a.m. CST/CDT every Monday. When a Monday is a holiday, opinions are issued on Tuesday.   

On Wednesday of every week, the Court of Appeals will distribute a notice that informs counsel, self-represented (pro se) parties, and court personnel associated with a case that an opinion will be released the following Monday.  Opinions are available online or by visiting the Clerk of Appellate Courts, 305 Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, after the Monday release time.

In certain time-sensitive cases, the Court of Appeals may issue opinions on other business days.  In these instances, involved parties will be contacted just prior to the special release.

Please visit the Minnesota State Law Library's Appellate Opinions Archive for previously released Court of Appeals Opinions and previously released Special Term Orders.
 

NOTE: If you are having trouble accessing the tabs on your mobile device, you may view all Opinions on a single page.

Precedential OpinionsUnder Minn. Rule of Civil Appellate Procedure 136.01, the Court of Appeals issues a precedential opinion (formerly called "published opinions") only to clarify or develop the law.  In deciding whether to issue a precedential opinion, the court considers multiple factors listed in Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. (1)(b), incluing whether the case establishes a new principle or rule of law, clarifies existing case law, decides a novel issue involving a constitutional provision, statute, administrative rule or rule of court, or resolves a significant or recurring legal issue.  Precedential opinions will be considered and used by courts faced with similar issues in the future, and they are published in books of caselaw found in most law libraries.  Under Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 128.02, subd. 1(f), parties may advise the court whether a precedential opinion would be helpful. 

DECISIONS OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
FILED Tuesday, February 18, 2025


A24-1113   Bryce Holstad, et al., Appellants, vs. Town of May, Respondent.
                    Washington County District Court, Hon. Siv Mjanger.
          1. When establishing a mandatory cartway under Minnesota Statutes section 164.08, subdivision 2 (2024), a town has implied authority to impose appropriate conditions on the construction, opening, and use of the cartway.
          2. Damages under section 164.08, subdivision 2(c), may include a town’s attorney fees incurred in connection with an appeal of a resolution establishing a cartway as well as engineer costs incurred to supervise cartway construction because both are a “cost of professional and other services . . . and other costs and expenses which the town may incur in connection with the proceedings for the establishment of the cartway.”
          Affirmed and remanded. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
Nonprecedential OpinionsNonprecedential opinions (formerly called "unpublished opinions") are typically issued in cases that do not contain issues of first impression or involve the application of established law to the particular set of facts and circumstances in that case.  See Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01.  Nonprecedential opinions "are not binding authority except as law of the case, res judicata or collateral estoppel, but nonprecedential opinions may be cited as persuasive authority." Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01. 

NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINIONS
FILED Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Pursuant to Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. 1 (c)


1.   A24-0815
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Austin McKepton Lee, Appellant.
      Reversed and remanded. Chief Judge Jennifer L. Frisch.
      Lyon County District Court, Hon. Michelle A. Dietrich.

2.   A24-1473
      In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: M. R. M. P., Mother.
      Affirmed. Judge Francis J. Connolly.
      Winona County District Court, Hon. Nancy L. Buytendorp.

3.   A24-1316
      In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of: X. M. B. and J. C. B.-G., Parents.
      Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
      Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Christa M. Daily.

4.   A24-0628
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Patricia Michelle Jones, Appellant.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Cottonwood County District Court, Hon. Christina M. Wietzema.

5.   A24-0462
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Shawn Elson Randall, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Carlton County District Court, Hon. Amy E. Lukasavitz.

6.   A23-0481
      Sally Cooper Smith, Appellant, vs. Steven C. Piechowski, individually and dba SP Trucking, LLC, Defendant, Northstar Materials, Inc., dba Knife
      River Materials, Respondent.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Clay County District Court, Hon. Leah duCharme.

7.   A24-0901
      Andre Binns, Relator, vs. Gopher Resource, LLC, Respondent, Department of Employment and Economic Development, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Randall J. Slieter.
      Department of Employment and Economic Development.

8.   A24-0811
      Steven Craig Redick, Respondent, vs. John Leslie Cooper, Appellant.
      Reversed. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kristin Siegesmund.

9.   A24-0373
      Remona Lysa Brown, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
      Nobles County District Court, Hon. Sherry Haley.

10. A23-1040
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. John Joseph Hare, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Elise Larson.
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. Todd R. Schoffelman.

11. A23-1832
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Vincent Joseph Myslajek, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. Karin L. McCarthy.

12. A24-0627
      Mark O. Onyenemezu, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Faith Chioma Onyenemezu, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Denise D. Reilly.*
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. Sean C. Gibbs.

* Retired judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, serving by appointment pursuant to Minn. Const. art. VI, § 10.
Order OpinionsCases that involve a few simple issues may be decided by order opinions, which include little discussion of the facts of the case and a brief analysis of the laws that are involved. Order opinions "are not binding authority except as law of the case, res judicata or collateral estoppel." Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01. 

RECENT ORDER OPINIONS
February 18, 2025


1.   A24-0744
      Andrew Joseph Haman, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Chief Judge Jennifer L. Frisch.
      Steele County District Court, Hon. Karen R. Duncan.

2.   A24-1157
      Peter Richard Rickmyer, Appellant, vs. Xenos Letoi Brooks, Respondent.
      Remanded. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Charlene Hatcher.
Opinions released on a day other than the court’s weekly release date will appear on the Special Release Opinions tab. Special release opinions may be precedential, nonprecedential, or order opinions.  

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED

Opinion SetsAs of June 1, 2023, the Court of Appeals no longer provides opinion sets in Word Document format and Rich Text Format. Opinions are available in PDF format under the Opinions tabs on this site.

Opinion Sets For Opinions
Filed Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Opinion Set in a Zipped PDF Format

  1. Click the above link.
  2. Save the unzipped file to your computer.
  3. Choose the "Open" option on the Download Complete screen.
  4. Extract the files to a location of your choice.
  5. Open the extracted file.