Minnesota Judicial Branch Logo

Court of Appeals Opinions

GovDelivery SubscribeSign up to receive updates

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, July 1, 2024


A23-1657   State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Alan James Bear, Appellant.
                    Polk County District Court, Hon. Corey Harbott.
          Minnesota Statutes section 609.045 (2020) does not bar the state from prosecuting the offense of fleeing a peace officer committed while in Minnesota when the defendant has been convicted of a similar offense committed while in North Dakota arising from the same course of conduct because the elements of both law and fact between the two offenses are not identical.
          Affirmed. Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.

A23-1879   Thaleaha McBee, Appellant, vs. Team Industries, Inc, Respondent.
                    Becker County District Court, Hon. Michelle W. Lawson.
          Minnesota Statutes section 268.19 (2022) bars the admission of any documents created by an employer for submission to Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for the purpose of evaluating an unemployment-benefits claim in later civil, administrative, or judicial proceedings.
          Affirmed. Judge JaPaul J. Harris.
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, July 1, 2024

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


1.   A23-1597
      McLaughlin's Detroit Lakes, LLC, Respondent, vs. Franklin Outdoor Advertising Co., Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Renee L. Worke.
      Becker County District Court, Hon. Gretchen Thilmony.

2.   A23-1787
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Daniel Lee Haley, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
      Scott County District Court, Hon. Tanya O'Brien.

3.   A23-1366
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Jada Yolandamarie Ralford, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
      Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Kellie Charles.

4.   A23-1535
      Patricia Lemke, Relator, vs. ABLE, Inc., Respondent, Department of Employment and Economic Development, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
      Department of Employment and Economic Development.

5.   A23-1442
      Special Education Complaint 23-157C on behalf of A. M. A. from Rochester 0535-01.
      Affirmed. Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
      Independent School District No. 535.

6.   A24-0102
      In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Nathaniel Lee Betzler.
      Affirmed. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Stearns County District Court, Hon. Sarah E. Hennesy.

7.   A24-0016
      In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: A. S. J., Parent.
      Affirmed. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Angela J. Willms.

8.   A23-1076
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Orin Nigel Kelly, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Tracy M. Smith.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Anna Andow.

9.   A24-0072
      In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: B. S. F.-J., Parent.
      Affirmed. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Mark Kappelhoff.

10. A23-0913
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Bruce George Peck, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Crow Wing County District Court, Hon. Kristine R. DeMay.

11. A23-0680
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. William Kenneth Pike, Appellant.
      Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
      Isanti County District Court, Hon. John D. Klossner.

12. A23-1282
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ernan Patricio Ortega Lazo, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Randall J. Slieter.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Julie Allyn.

13. A23-1098
      In the Matter of the Welfare of: M. D. T., Child.
      Affirmed. Judge Theodora K. Gaitas.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Maximillia Utley.

14. A23-0722
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Gilberto Dominguez-Solis, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Theodora K. Gaitas.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Jay Quam.

15. A23-1045
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Janae Marie Sullivan, Appellant.
      Reversed. Judge Elise Larson.
      Blue Earth County District Court, Hon. Krista J. Jass.

16. A23-1613
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Elijah Willard James Guinn, Sr., Defendant, Midwest Bonding, LLC, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Keala C. Ede.
      St. Louis County District Court, Hon. Jill Eichenwald.

17. A23-0545
      Alexander John Cookson, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Keala C. Ede.
      Clay County District Court, Hon. Michael D. Fritz.

18. A23-1021
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Mitchell Gary Johannessohn, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jonathan P. Schmidt.
      Clearwater County District Court, Hon. Eric P. Schieferdecker.

19. A23-1690
      Ingrid Shoat, Appellant, vs. Sonny Pham, Respondent.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge JaPaul J Harris.
      Dissenting, Judge Renee L. Worke.
      Blue Earth County District Court, Hon. Mark Edward Betters.

20. A23-1226
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Thomas Lee Murray, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge JaPaul J Harris.
      Crow Wing County District Court, Hon. Kristine R. DeMay.

21. A23-1835
      Travis Clay Andersen, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Edward J. Cleary.*
      Carver County District Court, Hon. Christian S. Wilton.

22. A23-1265
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Matthew Lee Ford, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge John P. Smith.*
      Carver County District Court, Hon. Eric J. Braaten.

23. A23-0813
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Keonta Germaine Wickliffe, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge James B. Florey.*
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Michael E. Burns.

24. A23-1821
      James W. Honcik, Appellant, vs. Norman County, Minnesota, Respondent.
      Affirmed. Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.*
      Norman County District Court, Hon. Temp Pennington.

25. A23-1136
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Tatianna Charlene Schmid, Appellant.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.*
      Blue Earth County District Court, Hon. Andrea J. Lieser.

* 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
July 1, 2024


1.   A24-0081
      John F Selleck, Respondent, Gerald Brunner, Plaintiff, vs. Colin Rambo, Appellant, Jennifer Knudsen, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge JaPaul J. Harris.
      Washington County District Court, Hon. Patrick W. Flanagan.

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED

Opinion SetsAs of June 1, 2023, the Court of Appeals no longer provides opinion sets in Word Document format and Rich Text Format. Opinions are available in PDF format under the Opinions tabs on this site.

Opinion Sets For Opinions
Filed Monday, July 1, 2024

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.