Court of Appeals Opinions



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.


Published Opinions

By 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, January 13, 2025


A24-1122   Gopher Mats, LLC d/b/a Viking Mat Company, Cross-Appellant, vs. Kalesnikoff Lumber Company, Ltd., Appellant, Respondent on
                    Related Appeal, Kalesnikoff Mass Timber, Inc., Respondent on Related Appeal, Weekes Forest Products Inc., Respondent.

                    Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kristin Siegesmund.
          1. In assessing a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, a court resolves conflicting evidence in favor of the party asserting jurisdiction.
          2. A foreign corporation’s business dealings with its exclusive product distributor in Minnesota may be relevant to assess the foreign corporation’s contacts with Minnesota where those business dealings give rise or relate to a claim for liability connected to that product.
          Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Chief Judge Jennifer Frisch.

A24-0699   Rebecca A. Niebuhr, Appellant, vs. Jacob Sieberg, Defendant, Timothy Sieberg, et al., Respondents.
                    Blue Earth County District Court, Hon. Mark Edward Betters.
          Vehicle owners may be held vicariously liable as principals under the Minnesota Safety Responsibility Act, Minnesota Statutes section 169.09, subdivision 5a (2022), even if their deemed agent, the driver of the vehicle involved in an accident, is immune from liability as a coemployee under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, Minnesota Statutes section 176.061, subdivision 5(e) (2022).
          Reversed and remanded. Judge Elizabeth G. Bentley.

Unpublished Opinions

Unpublished 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.

NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINIONS
FILED Monday, January 13, 2025

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


1.   A24-0468
      Oluwafunbi Ige Olusina, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Ann Oludolapo Olusina, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Motions denied. Judge Renee L. Worke.
      Scott County District Court, Hon. Mark Vandelist.

2.   A24-0209
      James P Gerchy, Respondent, vs. Autumn Antlers Trophy Whitetail Lodge, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, et al., Appellants.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Kevin G. Ross.
      Stearns County District Court, Hon. Shan C. Wang.

3.   A24-0352
      Zutz Farms, et al., Appellants, vs. Middle Snake Tamarac Rivers Watershed District, Respondent, Christian Erickson, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Francis J. Connolly.
      Marshall County District Court, Hon. Corey Harbott.

4.   A24-0115
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Scott Wayne Erickson, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Francis J. Connolly.
      McLeod County District Court, Hon. Jessica J.W. Maher.

5.   A24-0631
      Michael Kwabena Asiedu, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Gladys Barkey Asiedu, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Motion granted. Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
      Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Christina Kilbo Stevens.

6.   A24-0189
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Charles Edward Love, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
      Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Reynaldo Aligada, Jr.

7.   A23-0004
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Carmen Marie Burth, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
      Chisago County District Court, Hon. Bridgid E. Dowdal.

8.   A24-0184
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Oluwatobi Samson Taiwo, Appellant.
       Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. Kristin C. Larson.

9.   A23-1911
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Anthony Dimitri Limogianni, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
      Crow Wing County District Court, Hon. Erik J. Askegaard.

10. A24-0678, A24-0704
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Thomas John Forcier, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Benton County District Court, Hon. Michael S. Jesse.

11. A23-1779, A23-1981
      Brent Lee Florine, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Lauren Marie Florine, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Rachna Sullivan.

12. A24-0832
      Matthew Ryan Foede, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Courtney Ann-Nicole Vaughn, Appellant, County of Sherburne, Intervenor.
       Affirmed. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
      Sherburne County District Court, Hon. Karen Schommer.

13. A24-0208
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Michael Daniel Keller, Appellant.
       Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Judge Sarah Hudleston.

14. A24-1045
      In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: G. U. T., Parent.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Rachel Hughey.

15. A24-1004
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Churojut Peter Thuok, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Stearns County District Court, Hon. Mary B. Mahler.

16. A24-0966
      In re the Estate of: Jose Antonio Chimborazo Quizhpi, decedent.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Julia Dayton Klein.

17. A24-0864
      Dalvin Cook, Respondent, vs. Gracelyn Trimble, et al., Defendants, Coley Grostyan, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Joseph R. Klein.

18. A24-0404
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Stefan Scott Tucker, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Crow Wing County District Court, Hon. Charles D. Halverson.

19. A24-1142
      In re the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of: C. B. H. and R. V. S., Parents.
      Affirmed. Judge Elizabeth G. Bentley.
      Chisago County District Court, Hon. Heather Wynn.

20. A24-0550
      Rebecca L Bersch, Appellant, vs. Sharon K Hills, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Motion granted in part, denied in part. Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.*
      Dakota County District Court, Hon. Paula D. Vraa.

21. A24-0020
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Joshua Shaine Defoe, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.*
      Itasca County District Court, Hon. Sarah McBroom.

22. A24-0518
      Summer Rae Cada on Behalf of Minor Children, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Brian Gerald Cada, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge John P. Smith.*
      Winona County District Court, Hon. Nancy L. Buytendorp.

23. A24-0346
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Edin Arnold Sanchez, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge John P. Smith.*
      Lyon County District Court, Hon. Michelle A. Dietrich.

* Retired judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, serving by appointment pursuant to Minn. Const. art. VI, § 10.

Order Opinions

Cases 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 13, 2025


No Order Opinions Filed.

Special Release Opinions

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED


Opinion Sets

Opinion 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, January 13, 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.