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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 OpinionsBy statute, the Court of Appeals issues a precedential (formerly called "published") opinion only in the most important and complex cases. Precedential 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 of caselaw found in most law libraries.

DECISIONS OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
FILED Monday, January 30, 2023



A22-0796        Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, Petitioner, vs. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Respondent. 
                         Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
             The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) did not improperly delegate its rulemaking authority to another state when it incorporated by reference California’s motor-vehicle emission standards into Minn. R. 7023.0150-.0300 (2021).
             Rule declared valid.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.
 
 
 
A22-0200        State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dale Edward Lehman, Jr., Appellant.
                         Stearns County District Court, Hon. Mary B. Mahler.
             A conviction for knowingly permitting a child to ingest methamphetamine under Minn. Stat. § 152.137, subd. 2(b) (2020), does not require proof that the defendant knew the victim’s age.
             Affirmed.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
 
 
 
A22-0688        Marcia Swanson, Respondent, vs. Denise Wolf, Appellant.           
                         Faribault County District Court, Hon. Troy Timmerman.
            Minnesota Statutes section 501C.0204 (2022) dictates that a district court cannot remove a trustee in an in rem proceeding. Rather, the district court must act in an in personam proceeding to remove a trustee.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
 
 
 
A22-0826        In re the Trust of Eva Marie Hanson Living Trust dated December 11, 1995.
                         Anoka County District Court, Hon. Thomas R. Lehmann.
            When the unambiguous terms of a trust instrument provide an exclusive method to amend the trust, Minn. Stat. § 501C.0602 (2022), prohibits consideration of any other method of amending the trust found in another writing, such as a power of attorney.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Randall J. Slieter.
 
 
 
A22-0738        Christopher Abdul-Haqq, et al., Respondents, vs. David LaLiberte, et al.,
                         Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Jamie L. Anderson.
            Minnesota law does not recognize a qualified privilege for defamatory statements made while dispensing unsolicited career advice.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jennifer Frisch.
 
Nonprecedential OpinionsNonprecedential opinions (formerly called "unpublished opinions") are issued in cases that are less complicated, that involve legal issues that have already been decided in precedential opinions, or that will affect only the parties to that particular case. These opinions are usually shorter than precedential opinions, do not contain extensive discussion of the facts, and are not generally relied on by other courts to the same degree as precedential opinions.

NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINIONS
FILED Monday, January 30, 2023

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



1.         A22-0246
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Kareem Jamar Waites, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.
            Stearns County District Court, Hon. Sarah E. Hennesy.
           
2.         A21-1577
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Christopher Lee Konakowitz, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Brown County District Court, Hon. Robert A. Docherty.
           
3.         A22-0037
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Antonio Levell Washington, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Denise D. Reilly.
            Rice County District Court, Hon. Christine Long.
           
4.         A22-0917
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Hector Vivas Buezo, Appellant.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Watonwan County District Court, Hon. Stephen Ferrazzano, II.
           
5.         A22-0639
            Paul Jerome Wittrock, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Shelley Sue Wittrock, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Benton County District Court, Hon. Michael S. Jesse.
           
6.         A22-0631
            Marisol Jimenez, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Jose De Jesus Jimenez Perez, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Watonwan County District Court, Hon. Stephen Ferrazzano, II.

7.         A22-0555
            Ronald G. Davis, Personal Representative of the Estate of Roger F. Davis and Trustee of
            the Toivo W. Carlson and Marcile V. Davis Carlson Trust Agreement, Appellant, vs.
            Ameriprise Financial Inc, et al., Respondents, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.,
            Respondent, Great River Regional Library, Respondent, First Presbyterian Church of
            Hibbing, Respondent, Sharing and Caring Hands, Inc., Respondent, Minnesota
            Department of Natural Resources, Respondent, Smile Train, Inc., Respondent, Greenwood
            Cemetery Association Corp., Respondent, School District of Superior Scholarship Fund,
            Inc., Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kristin Siegesmund.

8.         A22-0386
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Matthew James Adams, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Steele County District Court, Hon. Karen R Duncan.
           
9.         A21-1709, A21-1725
            In re the Marriage of: Whitney Ariane Blessing, petitioner, Appellant (A21-1709),
            Respondent (A21-1725), vs. Andrew David Blessing, Respondent (A21-1709), Appellant
            (A21-1725).
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Adam Yang.
           
10.       A22-0094
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Charles Calvin Lockhart, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Peter A. Cahill.
           
11.       A22-0322
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Samuel Lee Griffith, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.  Judge Randall J. Slieter.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Daniel C. Moreno.
           
12.       A22-0706
            James R. Pavelka, Jr., Appellant, vs. Heather Shadursky, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Laurie J. Miller.
           
13.       A22-0441
            Eddie Markeith Frazier, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan.
            Polk County District Court, Hon. Kurt J. Marben.

14.       A22-0599
            Anthony Kelley, Respondent, vs. The Bernick's Company, et al., Appellants.
            Affirmed.  Judge Theodora K. Gaïtas.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Karen A. Janisch.
           
15.       A22-0530
            Marthamae Kottschade, Appellant, vs. Richard A. Mokua, et al., Respondents.
            Affirmed.  Judge Theodora K. Gaïtas.
            Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Pamela King.
           
16.       A22-0487
            Arctos Wealth Management and Fiduciary LLC, o/b/o Irvin John Cooper, Sr., Respondent,
            vs. Kathy Jeno, aka Kathy Brown, aka Kathy Ann Verdorn, aka Kathy Skweres, aka Kathy
            Rothfuaz, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Theodora K. Gaïtas.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Timothy T. Mulrooney.
           
17.       A22-0593
            Joseph Daryll Rued on behalf of minor child, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Catrina Marie
            Rued, et al., Respondents.
            Affirmed; motion granted.  Judge Sarah Wheelock.
            Scott County District Court, Hon. Charles Webber.
           
18.       A22-0401
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Leslie Herman Wheeler, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Sarah Wheelock.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Vicki Taylor.
           
19.       A22-0732
            George Dudley, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Elise Larson.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Sophia Y. Vuelo.
 
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
January 30, 2023



1.         A22-0891
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Nicholas Bernard Janssen, Appellant.
            Reversed.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Vicki Taylor.
           
2.         A22-0849
            Florida P. Stevens, Respondent, vs. Alex P. Thomas, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Elizabeth Clysdale.
           
3.         A21-1524
            Kyle John Severson, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Sara Elizabeth Sigfrinius, f/k/a Sara
            Elizabeth Severson, Respondent.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Theodora K. Gaïtas.
            Washington County District Court, Hon. John C. Hoffman.
           
4.         A22-0360
            Ashley Burgess, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Kevin Lund, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Elise Larson.
            St. Louis County District Court, Hon. Theresa Neo.
 

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED

Opinion SetsOpinion sets contain all precedential and nonprecedential opinions. The sets are compressed into files that must be unpacked before opening them.

Opinion Sets For Opinions
Filed Monday, January 30, 2023

Opinion Set in a Zipped Word Document Format

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Opinion Set in a Zipped Rich Text Format

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