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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 10, 2020


A19-1291                In re the Marriage of:  Jill Melisa Sinda, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Richard Joseph Sinda, Appellant.
                                 Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Bridget Sullivan.
            A spousal-maintenance obligee’s “cohabitation” with another adult constitutes a substantial change in circumstances that justifies modifying maintenance if consideration of the four factors enumerated in Minn. Stat. § 518.552, subd. 6 (2018), indicates that cohabitation makes the existing maintenance obligation unreasonable and unfair.
            Affirmed.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
 
A19-1612                State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Steven Paul Jonsgaard, Appellant.
                                 Winona County District Court, Hon. Nancy L. Buytendorp.
            A forged signature on the front of a personal check, purporting to be that of the check’s maker, is not a false endorsement as contemplated by Minn. Stat. § 609.631, subd. 2(2) (2016).
            Reversed.  Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
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 10, 2020

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 480A.08, subd. 3 (2018)


1.         A19-1488
            David Timp, et al., Respondents, vs. Deborah Gibbs, et al., Appellants.
            Affirmed.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Joseph R. Klein.
 
2.         A20-0152
            In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Cody Jerome Kaiser.
            Affirmed.  Judge Francis J. Connolly.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Michael J. Mayer.
 
3.         A19-1489
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Chad Michael Gibson, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Rice County District Court, Hon. Jeffrey M Johnson.
 
4.         A20-0014
            Charity Slaughter, Appellant, vs. Independent School District No. 833, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
            Washington County District Court, Hon. Gregory G. Galler.
 
5.         A19-1452
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Lindsey Damien Mitchell, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Denise D. Reilly.
            Mille Lacs County District Court, Hon. Matthew M. Quinn.
 
6.         A20-0171
            Jane Ann Holm, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Stephen Edward Kuske, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Ronelle Anderson and Hon. Michael J. Mayer.
 
7.         A19-1386
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ricky Sinatra Sims, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Fred Karasov            .
 
8.         A19-1920
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dustin Alexander Depiano, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
            Clay County District Court, Hon. Michelle W. Lawson.
 
9.         A19-2033, A19-2038
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Shaun Michael Maubach, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Judge Mark Ireland.
            Washington County District Court, Hon. Gregory G. Galler.
 
10.       A20-0105
            State of Minnesota, Appellant, vs. Derek William Jung, Respondent.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Polk County District Court, Hon. Anne Marie Rasmusson.
 
11.       A19-2036
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Jesse Daniel Kriesel, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Morrison County District Court, Hon. Leonard A. Weiler.
 
12.       A19-1362
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Delaney Ledell Johnson, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Patrick C. Diamond.
 
13.       A19-2070
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ayodele Mayowa Ojo, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Martin County District Court, Hon. Michael D. Trushenski.
 
14.       A19-1348
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Richard Lanell Adams, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. William H. Koch.
 
15.       A19-1537
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Rafael Buenfil, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
            Clay County District Court, Hon. Tammy L Merkins.
 
16.       A19-1239
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Antonio Cornelius Neal, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Randall J. Slieter.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Jay Quam.
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 10, 2020


NO ORDER OPINIONS FILED

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 10, 2020

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.