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Court of Appeals Opinions

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

Appellate Courts transmit all notices, orders, and opinions electronically.

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.

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, February 22, 2021



A20-1330        In the Matter of: Hayat Muse.
                        Department of Employment and Economic Development.
            Minnesota high school students are not categorically ineligible to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Pub. L. 116-136, 134 Stat. 281 (2020) (CARES Act).
            Reversed.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.


A20-0235        In re the Matter of: Brian Eugene Wolf, petitioner, Appellant, vs. Mandy Marie Oestreich, Respondent.
                         Scott County District Court, Hon. Colleen G. King.
            “Joint legal custody” under Minn. Stat. § 518.003, subd. 3(b) (2018), “means that both parents have equal rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in major decisions determining the child’s upbringing, including education, health care, and religious training.”  A joint legal custodian’s status as the provider of a child’s “primary residence” does not modify the rights and responsibilities of either joint legal custodian unless the district court orders otherwise.
            Affirmed.  Judge Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
  
 
 

SPECIAL TERM OPINION

 
A20-1644        In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of:  M.L.S., C.V.R., and P.H., Commissioner of Human Services, Legal Custodian.
                         Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Kevin A. Lund.
            Even though an order denying permissive intervention in a civil case is generally not appealable, an order denying permissive intervention that effectively bars a party from being the adoptive placement for a child in a juvenile-protection proceeding is appealable under Minn. R. Juv. Prot. P. 23.02, subd. 1.
            Appeal to proceed.  Chief Judge Susan L. Segal.
 

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, February 22, 2021

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



1.         A20-0503
            Michael DePaul, Relator, vs. Department of Veterans Affairs/Veterans Health
            Administration, Respondent, Department of Employment and Economic Development,
            Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Renee L. Worke.
            Department of Employment and Economic Development.

2.         A20-0414
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Daniel Edward Nixon, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Michelle A. Larkin.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Joy D. Bartscher.

3.         A20-0740
            In the Matter of Reba Mitchell's Termination of Section 8 Benefits.
            Reversed.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Dissenting, Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            St. Paul Public Housing Agency.

4.         A20-0530
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Larry Jonnell Gilbert, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Sarah S. West.

5.         A20-0300
            Charles Prudhomme, o/b/o minor child, petitioner, Respondent, vs. Jennifer
            Kazmierczak, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Steele County District Court, Hon. Karen R Duncan.

6.         A20-0258
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Dustin Mitch Nickaboine, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Mille Lacs County District Court, Hon. Matthew M. Quinn.

7.         A20-0207
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Jessica Katherine James, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Carol A. Hooten.
            Otter Tail County District Court, Hon. Sharon G. Benson.

8.         A20-1028
            In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of: R. H. and P. R. F., Parents.
            Affirmed.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Stevens County District Court, Hon. Charles Crawford Glasrud.
 
9.         A20-0579
            In re the Marriage of:  Nicole Marie Knewtson, n/k/a Nicole Marie Campbell, Appellant,
            vs. Adam Christopher Knewtson, Respondent.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Tracy M. Smith.
            Faribault County District Court, Hon. Darci Bentz.

10.       A20-0597
            Melissa Leigh Brinkman, petitioner, Respondent, and Robert Michael Brinkman,
            Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Olmsted County District Court, Hon. Joseph F. Chase.

11.       A20-0443
            Andrew Ellis, et al., Respondents, vs. City of Minneapolis, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Susan N. Burke.

12.       A20-0373
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ishmel Barry McReynolds, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge James B. Florey.
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Regina M. Chu.

13.       A20-0946
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Donald Albert Strobel, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
            Wabasha County District Court, Hon. Christopher A. Neisen.

14.       A20-0872
            In re the Estate of: Shirley Joy Pratt, Deceased.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeanne M. Cochran.
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Leonardo Castro.

15.       A20-0727
            Madeline Jane McGill, Respondent, vs. Elton James Curtis, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan.
            Cass County District Court, Hon. Jana M. Austad.

16.       A20-0657
            Freedom Kerkula, Respondent, vs. City of Moorhead, et al., Appellants, Minnesota
            Department of Natural Resources, Cross-Respondent.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Jennifer Frisch.
            Clay County District Court, Hon. Gail T. Kulick.

17.       A20-0192
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Raymon Freeman, Appellant.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks.*
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. William H. Koch.
  
18.       A20-0919
            Steven Schussler, et al., Appellants, vs. City of the Village of Minnetonka Beach,
            Respondent, Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, et al., Respondents.
            Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.*
            Hennepin County District Court, Hon. Thomas Fraser.

19.       A20-0424
            State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Daniel Edward Nixon, Appellant.
            Affirmed.  Judge John R. Rodenberg.*
            Ramsey County District Court, Hon. Joy D. Bartscher.
 
 
* 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
February 22, 2021



1.         A20-0839
            Faron Wayne Ruel, petitioner, Appellant, vs. State of Minnesota, Respondent.
            Affirmed.  Judge Jennifer Frisch.
            Polk County District Court, Hon. Eric P. Schieferdecker.

 

NO SPECIAL RELEASE OPINIONS FILED

Opinion SetsOpinion sets contain all precedential, nonprecedential, and order opinions. The sets are compressed into files that must be unpacked before opening them.

Opinion Sets For Opinions
Filed Monday, February 22, 2021

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.