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, April 14, 2025
A24-0474 State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Weheliye Abdulcadir Abucar Gaal, Appellant.
Kandiyohi County District Court, Hon. Stephen J. Wentzell.
Minnesota Statutes section 624.713, subdivision 1(2) (2022), which prohibits the possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, and Minnesota Statutes section 609.667(1) (2022), which prohibits the obliteration, removal, change, or alteration of the serial number of a firearm, do not on their face violate the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Affirmed. Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
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, April 14, 2025
Pursuant to Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. 1 (c)
1.
A24-0779
Sarah Elizabeth Lavins, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Brock Laverne Lavins, Respondent.
Affirmed. Judge Renee L. Worke.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Patrick D. Robben.
2.
A24-1643
In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Samuel Omwando Nyaboga.
Affirmed; motion denied. Judge Kevin G. Ross.
Commitment Appeal Panel.
3.
A24-1401
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Benjamin Alexander Russell, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Kevin G. Ross.
Anoka County District Court, Hon. Jenny Walker Jasper.
4.
A24-0619
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Oscar Elias Padilla Jovel, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Francis J. Connolly.
Dakota County District Court, Hon. Stacey E. Sorensen Green.
5.
A24-0609
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Robert James Cerney, Jr., Appellant.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
Winona County District Court, Hon. Mary C. Leahy.
6.
A24-1298
Cornerstone Management Services, LLC, Respondent, vs. BAHEYA, LLC, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Christina Kilbo Stevens.
7.
A24-0575
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Mark Anthony Burciaga, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
Steele County District Court, Hon. Jeffrey Kritzer.
8.
A23-0404
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Derek Leake, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Paul Scoggin.
9.
A24-0834
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ras-Solomon Marquis Braxton, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Gina M. Brandt.
10.
A24-0638
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. John Arland Kirst, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
Nobles County District Court, Hon. Sherry Haley.
11.
A24-0324
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dywon Jackson, Appellant.
Reversed. Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kerry Meyer.
12.
A24-0052
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Charles Todd Bragg, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
Mille Lacs County District Court, Hon. Matthew M. Quinn.
13.
A23-1912
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Troy Allan Hill, Appellant.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
Kanabec County District Court, Hon. Stoney L. Hiljus.
14.
A24-1147
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Devin Kendal Zitzloff, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Randall J. Slieter.
Meeker County District Court, Hon. Judge Allison T. Whalen.
15.
A24-0665,
A24-0666
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Alicia Marie Neely, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
Freeborn County District Court, Hon. Christy Hormann.
16.
A24-0629
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Carlos Raul Orellana Duta, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Sarah I. Wheelock.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Hilary L. Caligiuri.
17.
A24-0845
In the Matter of the Formal Complaint and Request for Relief by the Minnesota Solar Advocates.
Affirmed. Judge Keala C. Ede.
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
18.
A24-1447
Absolute Resolutions Investments, LLC, Respondent, vs. Ari D Clark, Appellant.
Affirmed. Judge Rachel F. Bond.
Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Bridget Sullivan.
19.
A24-1509
Jay Maurice, as Trustee for the next-of-kin of Jon Maurice, Appellant, vs. Granite Falls Municipal Hospital aka Granite Falls Health, Respondent,
Patrick Juenemann, et al., Defendants.
Affirmed. Judge James B. Florey.*
Yellow Medicine County District Court, Hon. Keith Helgeson.
* 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
April 14, 2025
1.
A23-1383
Brian David Fleming, Appellant, vs. Commissioner of Douglas County Human Services, Respondent.
Reversed and remanded. Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
Douglas County District Court, Hon. Timothy M. Churchwell.
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, April 14, 2025
Opinion Set in a Zipped PDF Format
- Click the above link.
- Save the unzipped file to your computer.
- Choose the "Open" option on the Download Complete screen.
- Extract the files to a location of your choice.
- Open the extracted file.