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Court of Appeals Opinions

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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, August 13, 2018



A18-0198        In re the Matter of:  Hamida Ishmael Amarreh, petitioner, Respondent,
                        vs. Ishmael G. Amarreh, Appellant.
                        Dakota County District Court, Hon. Arlene Perkkio.
            When a moving party in a custody-modification proceeding makes a prima facie showing of substantial interference with the parent-child relationship, the moving party has made a prima facie case for child emotional endangerment under Minn. Stat. § 518.18(d)(iv) (2016), and therefore is entitled to an evidentiary hearing.
            Reversed and remanded.  Judge Heidi S. Schellhas.
 
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, August 13, 2018

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 480A.08, subd. 3 (2014)



1.         A17-1476
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Matthew Raymond Smoot, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Chief Judge Edward J. Cleary.
            Cass County District Court, Hon. Jana Austad.

2.         A17-1756
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Pakaykeo Phetsomphou, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Chief Judge Edward J. Cleary.
            Scott County District Court, Hon. Caroline Lennon.

3.         A18-0387
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of:  T. K. U. and T. D. K., Parents.
            Affirmed.  Chief Judge Edward J. Cleary.
            Otter Tail County District Court, Hon. Barbara Hanson.

4.         A17-1890
            In re:  Custody of the Minor Child V. E.; Ricardo Elizondo, petitioner, Appellant,
            vs. Katie Irene Halvorson, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Randolph W. Peterson.
            Norman County District Court, Hon. Eric P. Schieferdecker.

5.         A17-1949
            Circle Reflection “J” Ranch, LLC, et al., Appellants, vs. Hightail Rescue, Inc., et al.,
            Respondents.
            Affirmed.  Judge Randolph W. Peterson.
            Clay County District Court, Hon. Galen J. Vaa.

6.         A17-1967
            The Echo Newspaper, Appellant, vs. St. Louis Park Public Schools, Independent School
            District #283, et al., Respondents.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Michael Browne.

7.         A18-0185
            In re the Marriage of:  Rachel Ann Hughes, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Brian Patrick
           Selmser, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Itasca County District Court, Hon. Paul Benshoof.

8.         A17-1384
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Humberto Acevedo, Jr., Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Swift County District Court, Hon. David Mennis.

9.         A17-1720
            Jennifer Natalie Bernard, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Laura Nelson.

10.       A17-1729
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Larry Donnell Griffin, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Richard H. Kyle, Jr.

11.       A17-1745
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Robert Alan Thunder, Appellant.
            Reversed.  Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman.
            Pennington County District Court, Hon. Tamara Lynn Yon.

12.       A18-0194
            Jeremia Joseph Loper, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michael L. Kirk.
            Stearns County District Court, Hon. Sarah E. Hennesy.

13.       A18-0278
            Talon Bren Road, LLC, Respondent, vs. Bren Road, LLC, defendant and third party
            plaintiff, Appellant, vs. Talon OP, LP, third party defendant, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Lucinda E. Jesson.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Joseph Klein.

14.       A17-2054
            K.A.J., Relator, vs. Emily Piper, Commissioner of Human Services, Respondent.
            Affirmed; motion to strike granted in part and denied in part; motion to supplement
            denied.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Minnesota Department of Human Services.

15.       A17-2041
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Aaron Michael Anderson, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Debra A. Jacobson.

16.       A17-1836
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Kevin Mathew Erickson, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Scott County District Court, Hon. Arlene Perkkio.

17.       A18-0190
            Damian Loth, Appellant, vs. Gregory Hoscheit, et al., Respondents, George Griffith,
            Defendant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Houston County District Court, Hon. Matthew J. Opat.

18.       A18-0021
            In re:  Trust of Phyllis Gene Jones, Settlor.
            Affirmed.  Judge Roger M. Klaphake.*
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Shawn M. Bartsh.

19.       A17-1475
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Barry Richard Closmore, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge John P. Smith.*
            Washington County District Court, Hon. Ellen L. Maas.

20.       A17-1490
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Joseph Michael Passon, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Larry B. Stauber, Jr.*
            Sherburne County District Court, Hon. Sheridan Hawley.
 
 
* 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
August 13, 2018



1.         A18-0266
            Losanda Manning, Relator, vs. Public Housing Agency of the City of St. Paul,
            Respondent.
            Remanded.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.
            St. Paul Public Housing Agency.

2.         A17-1947
            Ronna Johnson, Relator, vs. Dynamic Group, Inc., Respondent, Department of
            Employment and Economic Development, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge R. A. (Jim) Randall.*
            Department of Employment and Economic Development.
 
* Retired judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, serving by appointment pursuant to Minn. Const. art. VI, § 10.
 

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, August 13, 2018

Opinion Set in a Zipped Word Document Format

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  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.