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Court of Appeals Opinions

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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 OpinionsUnder Minn. Rule of Civil Appellate Procedure 136.01, the Court of Appeals issues a precedential opinion (formerly called "published opinions") only to clarify or develop the law.  In deciding whether to issue a precedential opinion, the court considers multiple factors listed in Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 136.01, subd. (1)(b), incluing whether the case establishes a new principle or rule of law, clarifies existing case law, decides a novel issue involving a constitutional provision, statute, administrative rule or rule of court, or resolves a significant or recurring legal issue.  Precedential opinions 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.  Under Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 128.02, subd. 1(f), parties may advise the court whether a precedential opinion would be helpful. 

DECISIONS OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
FILED Tuesday, May 27, 2025


A24-1534  Masami Kiya, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Randy Jackson, Jr., Appellant.
                    Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Theresa Couri.
          Because Japan has enacted a law and procedures “substantially similar” to the procedures set forth under Minnesota Statutes sections 518C.101–.905 (2024), a Japanese child-support order qualifies as a “foreign support order” that can be registered in Minnesota for enforcement purposes.
          Affirmed. Judge Kevin G. Ross.
Nonprecedential OpinionsNonprecedential opinions (formerly called "unpublished opinions") are typically issued in cases that do not contain issues of first impression or involve the application of established law to the particular set of facts and circumstances in that case.  See Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01.  Nonprecedential opinions "are not binding authority except as law of the case, res judicata or collateral estoppel, but nonprecedential opinions may be cited as persuasive authority." Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01. 

NONPRECEDENTIAL OPINIONS
FILED Tuesday, May 27, 2025

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


1.   A24-1375
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Deanna May Jaeger, Appellant.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Kevin G. Ross.
      Kandiyohi County District Court, Hon. Jennifer Fischer.

2.   A24-0799
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Kevin Herman Larson, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Matthew E. Johnson.
      Rice County District Court, Hon. Karie M. Anderson.

3.   A24-0855
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ryan Steven Masog, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Keala C. Ede.
      Stearns County District Court, Hon. William J. Cashman.

4.   A24-1088
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dylan Alexander Domino, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jon Schmidt.
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. Dyanna L. Street.

5.   A24-1625
      In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: DeRon Vaughnta Hazley.
      Affirmed. Judge Rachel F. Bond.
      Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Julia Dayton Klein.

6.   A24-1135
      Sarah Lynn Nelson, n/k/a Sarah Lynn Derry, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Abel Aaron Nelson, Appellant.
      Affirmed; motion denied. Judge Rachel F. Bond.
      Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Nicole J. Starr.

7.   A24-0905
      State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. John Demarco Butler, Appellant.
      Affirmed. Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.*
      Washington County District Court, Hon. Helen Brosnahan.

* 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. Order opinions "are not binding authority except as law of the case, res judicata or collateral estoppel." Minn. R. Civ. App. 136.01. 

RECENT ORDER OPINIONS
May 27, 2025


1.   A24-1348
      Paul Devereaux, Appellant, vs. Medtronic USA Inc., Respondent.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Renee L. Worke.
      Anoka County District Court, Hon. James A. Cunningham, Jr.

2.   A24-1855
      State of Minnesota, Appellant, vs. Rodrigo Rojas Gasca, Respondent.
      Reversed and remanded. Judge Renee L. Worke.
      Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Lisa R. Hayne.

3.   A24-1292
      Leng Bualue Wong, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Commissioner of Public Safety, Appellant.
      Reversed and remanded. Denise Reilly.*
      Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Leonardo Castro.

* Retired judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, serving by appointment pursuant to Minn. Const. art. VI, § 10.
Opinions released on a day other than the court’s weekly release date will appear on the Special Release Opinions tab. Special release opinions may be precedential, nonprecedential, or order opinions.  

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 Tuesday, May 27, 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.