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Court of Appeals Opinions

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

Appellate Courts will begin transmitting all notices, orders, and opinions electronically.

Beginning no later than July 1, 2011, the appellate courts will send notices, orders, opinions, and correspondence related to pending cases to attorneys in those cases by e-mail rather than postal mail.  All attorneys with pending appellate cases who have not already registered an e-mail address should do so immediately.  Unrepresented parties with pending appellate cases may also participate in this e-notification system by registering an e-mail address.  Please visit the Clerk of Appellate Courts page for instructions on how to register your e-mail address.
 

Opinion Policies

Minnesota Court of Appeals opinions are issued weekly and are available to the public at 10 a.m. CST/CDT every Monday.

On Wednesday of every week, the Court of Appeals will mail a notice that informs counsel, 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.  Copies of the opinions are mailed to involved parties on Mondays.

In certain time-sensitive cases, the Court of Appeals may issue opinions on a business day other than Monday.  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.

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

Published OpinionsBy statute, the Court of Appeals issues a published opinion only in the most important and complex cases. Published opinions include an extensive analysis of the facts and law. They will be considered and used by courts faced with similar issues in the future, and they are published in books found in most law libraries.

DECISIONS OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
FILED Monday, August 21, 2017



A16-1607       State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Daley Marie Smith, Appellant.
                        Mille Lacs County District Court, Hon. Judge Steven A. Anderson.
            A district court does not err by instructing the jury that the knowledge requirement for accomplice liability under Minn. Stat. § 609.05 (2012) is satisfied if the defendant knew the alleged accomplices "were going to or were committing a crime."
            Affirmed.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.


A16-1365       State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Brandon Ray Larsen, Appellant.
                        Stearns County District Court, Hon. Sarah E. Hennesy.
            For purposes of Minnesota Statutes section 169.09, subdivision 5 (2014), which requires a driver involved in a collision with a fixture to notify the owner of property damage, the term "fixture" does not include a house.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.

 
Unpublished OpinionsUnpublished opinions are issued in cases that are less complicated, that involve legal issues that have already been decided in published opinions, or that will affect only the parties to that particular case. These opinions are usually shorter, do not contain extensive discussion of the facts, and are not generally relied on by other courts to the same degree as published opinions.

UNPUBLISHED OPINIONS
FILED Monday, August 21, 2017

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 480A.08, subd. 3 (2014)



1.         A17-0312
            In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Wayne Joseph Averett.
            Affirmed.  Judge Randolph W. Peterson.
            Supreme Court Appeal Panel.
 
2.         A17-0071
            Foreign Subpoena's Request for Jurisdictional Subpoena's for Aaron Jordan and Dwight
            Walvatne.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks,
            Grant County District Court, Hon. Judge Amy J. Doll.

3.         A16-1970
            In re the Marriage of:  Sandra Sue Grazzini-Rucki, petitioner, Appellant, vs. David Victor
            Rucki, Respondent, County of Dakota, intervenor, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Maria  K. Pastoor.

4.         A16-1710
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Christian David-Robert Wille, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Judge Jennifer Frisch.

5.         A17-0744
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of:  D. K., Parent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Mower County District Court, Hon. Jeffrey Kritzer.

6.         A17-0339
            Robert William Bessenbacher, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Olga Sergeyevna Bessenbacher,
            Respondent, County of Itasca, intervenor, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Itasca County District Court, Hon. Judge Korey D. Wahwassuck.

7.         A17-0257
            In re the Matter of the Irrevocable Trust Agreement for the New Jacqueline E. Johnson
            Trust Created By and Between Jacqueline E. Johnson, Settlor, and Dennis W. Johnson,
            Trustee, dated June 24, 2011
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Judge Cynthia McCollum.

8.         A16-1814
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, v. Melissa Ann Donarski, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Polk County District Court, Hon. Judge Anne Marie Rasmusson.

9.         A14-0976
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Sean Patrick Brinkman, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Heidi S. Schellhas.
            Carlton County District Court, Hon. Dale Albert Wolf.

10.       A17-0558, A17-0613
            In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Kenrick Allen Shell.
            Affirmed.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.
            Supreme Court Appeal Panel.

11.       A17-0064
            In re the Marriage of:  David Allan Kotz, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Edna Vassilovski,
            Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Denise D. Reilly.
            Carver County District Court, Hon. Janet L. Barke Cain.

12.       A16-1351
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Austin Thomas Whiteaker, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Denise D. Reilly.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Joy D. Bartscher.

13.       A17-0348, A17-0352, A17-0353
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of:  C. A. G. and J. E. C., Parents (A17- 0348),
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of:  C. A. G. and D. M., Parents (A17-0352),
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of:  C. A. G. and T. J. P., Parents (A17-0353).
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Judge Pamela King.
 
14.       A16-2068
            In re the Marriage of:  Julie M. Steen, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Keven L. Steen,
            Appellant
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Michael Furnstahl.

15.       A16-1894
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. John Melvin Karnes, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Mower County District Court, Hon. Kevin Siefken.

16.       A16-1378
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Denise Ann Kline, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Becker County District Court, Hon. Michael D. Fritz.

17.       A16-1598
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Nathaniel Emmanuel Collins, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Daniel H. Mabley.

18.       A16-1370
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Clint Scott Bearce, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Mille Lacs County District Court, Hon. Leonard A. Weiler.

19.       A16-1874
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge R. A. (Jim) Randall.*
            Mower County District Court, Hon. Kevin Siefken.
 
* 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.

RECENT ORDER OPINIONS
August 21, 2017



1.         A16-1350
            In re the Matter of:  Nathan John Ellering, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Bridgette Kathleen
            Healy, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Washington County District Court, Hon. John C. Hoffman.

2.         A17-0350
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dontay Lavarice Reese, Appellant.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Judge Cynthia McCollum.

3.         A16-1675
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Patrick Kipngetich Kogo, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kathryn L. Quaintance.

4.         A16-1869
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Jennie Marie Cutter, Appellant.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Hubbard County District Court, Hon. Robert Donald Tiffany.
 

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED

Opinion SetsOpinion sets contain all published, unpublished, and order opinions. The sets are compressed into files that must be unpacked before opening them.

Opinion Sets For Opinions
Filed Monday, August 21, 2017

Opinion Set in a Zipped Word Document 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.

Opinion Set in a Zipped Rich Text 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.