Logo
Planned maintenance will take place from 10:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. on both Wednesday, June 19 and Thursday, June 20. During these times, mncourts.gov and most court applications may be unavailable for up to 30 minutes. eFS will NOT be affected. Please plan ahead.
 

Court of Appeals Opinions

GovDelivery SubscribeSign up to receive updates


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, June 17, 2019



A18-1818        In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Jeremy David  Johnson.
                         Freeborn County District Court, Hon. Ross L. Leuning.
            Mere speculation that a lawyer was under the influence of a mood-altering substance while representing a client in commitment proceedings under the Minnesota Commitment and Treatment Act (MCTA), Minn. Stat. §§ 253B.01-.24 (2010 & Supp. 2011), or under the Minnesota Commitment and Treatment Act: Sexually Dangerous Persons and Sexual Psychopathic Personalities, Minn. Stat. §§ 253D.01-.36 (2018), is insufficient to establish ineffective assistance of counsel under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S. Ct. 2052 (1984).
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.


A18-1491        State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Steven Jeffrey Anderson, Appellant.
                         Anoka County District Court, Hon. Lawrence R. Johnson and Hon. Nancy J. Logering.
            A driver’s license revocation is “present” for the purposes of enhancing a criminal violation of the driving while impaired laws under Minnesota Statutes section 169A when the license revocation is effective, which occurs when the driver receives notice of the license revocation.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.

 
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, June 17, 2019

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



1.         A18-1716
            Thondee Pongmalee, et al., Jeffrey K. Priest, et al., Respondents, vs. Wat Lao
            Sirithammaraam, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Chief Judge Edward J. Cleary.
            Washington County District Court, Hon. Susan Miles.
 
2.         A18-2020
            Jill Mungall, Respondent, vs. Daniel Garry, Appellant, Olga Garry, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Susan Robiner.

3.         A18-1517
            Michael Gavigan, Respondent, vs. Import Auto Sales LLC d/b/a Import Auto Sales,
            Appellant, Quality Imports, Inc., et al., Defendants.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Bruce A. Peterson.

4.         A18-0785, A18-1302
            Meyer Contracting, Inc., Respondent, vs. Scott Fowler, Defendant, Graham Construction
            Services, Inc., defendant and counterclaimant, Appellant, vs. Brian A. Goudge, et al.,
            Counterclaim Defendants.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Joseph T. Carter.
 
5.         A18-1223
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Robert Jamar Casey, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Kevin G. Ross.
            Redwood County District Court, Hon. Patrick R Rohland.

6.         A18-0932
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Fidel Leon Castro, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Kevin G. Ross.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kathryn L. Quaintance.
 
7.         A18-1227
            Paul Ronny Barsness, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Heidi S. Schellhas.
            Otter Tail County District Court, Hon. Sharon G. Benson.

8.         A18-1503
            Protect Our Minnetonka Parks, Inc., Relator, vs. City of Minnetonka, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Heidi S. Schellhas.
            City of Minnetonka.

9.         A18-1592
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Brady Edward Speer, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Francis J. Connolly.
            Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Joseph F. Chase.

10.       A18-1202
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Marin Parpaut, Appellant.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Jamie L. Anderson.

11.       A18-2056
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Drey Lamar Lee, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Nicole J. Starr.

12.       A18-1635
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Willie Alonso Smith, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Richard H. Kyle, Jr.

13.       A18-1247
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Duane Cedric Allen, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Daniel H. Mabley.   
 
14.       A18-2083
            Michelle Lee Koester, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kathryn L. Quaintance.

15.       A18-1180
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Rene Mercedes Rivas-Hernandez, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Tim D. Wermager.

16.       A18-1071
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Eugene Minor, Jr., Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Kerry Meyer.

17.       A18-1724
            County of Sherburne, Respondent, vs. Steven D. Weese, Appellant, vs. County of
            Sherburne, et al., Respondents.
            Affirmed.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
            Sherburne County District Court, Hon. Sheridan Hawley.

18.       A18-1632
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Johnny Earl Edwards, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
            Anoka County District Court, Hon. Judge Dyanna L. Street.

19.       A18-2058
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Marvin Lynn Elgy, Defendant, Midwest Bonding,
            LLC, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Sara R. Grewing.

20.       A18-1721
            In re the Marriage of:  Sandra Sue Grazzini-Rucki, petitioner, Appellant, vs. David Victor
            Rucki, Respondent, County of Dakota, intervenor, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Dakota County District Court, Hon. Philip T. Kanning.

21.       A18-0777
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Kaylen Demond Nelson, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Anoka County District Court, Hon. Kristin C. Larson.

22.       A18-1440
            Dennis J. Arvig, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Trudy A. Kawlewski, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Diane B. Bratvold.
            Wadena County District Court, Hon. Doug Clark.

23.       A18-1544
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Cornelius Johnson, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Stearns County District Court, Hon. Andrew R Pearson.

 24.      A18-2079
            Jeffery D. Gordon, Respondent, vs. Consulting Radiologists, Ltd., et al., Appellants.
            Affirmed.  Judge Roger M. Klaphake.*
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Daniel C. Moreno.

25.       A18-1610
            Don Modeen, Relator, vs. Meribel Enterprises, LLC, Respondent, Department of
            Employment and Economic Development, Respondent.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Roger M. Klaphake.*
            Department of Employment and Economic Development.

 
* 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
June 17, 2019



1.         A18-1221
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Regis Avery Jones, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Stephen L. Smith.
 

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, June 17, 2019

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.