Hurt v. Freeland

1997 ND 194, 569 N.W.2d 266, 1997 N.D. LEXIS 240, 1997 WL 598269
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 30, 1997
DocketCivil 970119
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 1997 ND 194 (Hurt v. Freeland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hurt v. Freeland, 1997 ND 194, 569 N.W.2d 266, 1997 N.D. LEXIS 240, 1997 WL 598269 (N.D. 1997).

Opinion

NEUMANN, Justice.

[¶ 1] Alice Hurt, Eric Hurt, and Ernie Mathias on behalf 'of Brady Hurt, a minor, [the Hurts] appeal from a summary judgment dismissing Traci Olson and Timothy Olson [the Olsons]. We dismiss the appeal for lack of Rule 54(b), NDRCivP, certification because unresolved claims remain between the Hurts and Tyler Freeland.

I

[¶ 2] On December 24, 1993, Edwin Hurt, his son Douglas Hurt, and his daughter-in-law Sandra Hurt were killed, and Doug and Sandra’s two sons, Eric and Brady Hurt were seriously injured in an automobile accident. The Hurts vehicle was hit by a pickup *268 driven by Cory Meyer, whose passengers were the Olsons and Tyler Freeland, all of whom had been consuming alcohol.

[¶ 3] The Hurts sued the Olsons and Tyler Freeland on traditional negligence concepts. 1 The Olsons moved for summary judgment seeking dismissal of those claims. The court granted partial summary judgment, but allowed the Hurts to file an amended complaint. The Hurts amended their complaint on theories of passenger negligence, civil conspiracy, state RICO, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and prima facie tort. The Olsons again moved for summary judgment. The district court granted their motion, dismissing the amended complaint against them. Freeland did not make an appearance in the action. He did not answer the complaint, and has neither been dismissed from this case nor had judgment entered against him. The Hurts appeal.

II

[¶ 4] In order to consider the merits of this appeal, we must have jurisdiction. Gast Constr. Co. v. Brighton Partnership, 422 N.W.2d 389, 390 (N.D.1988). Although neither party raised the issue of appealability, the right to appeal is jurisdictional and may be considered sua sponte. See, e.g., In re Estate of Zimmerman, 1997 ND 58, ¶ 4, 561 N.W.2d 642. We use a two-prong test to analyze whether this Court has jurisdiction to consider appeals from orders in cases in which unadjudieated claims remain for the district court to resolve. E.g., Central Power Elec. Co-op. v. C-K, Inc., 512 N.W.2d 711, 714 (N.D.1994). First, the order appealed from must conform with the statutory criteria under NDCC § 28-27-02. Id. Second, there must be a Rule 54(b) certification by the district court. Id.; NDRCivP, Rule 54(b).

[¶ 5] Determining the first prong is unnecessary, because this case obviously fails the second: There is no Rule 54(b) certification by the district court. Under the explicit language of Rule 54(b), the district court’s judgment dismissing the claims against the Olsons does not terminate the action as to any of the parties, including the Olsons. The judgment remains subject to revision at any time before the entry of judgment adjudicating all the claims, rights, and liabilities of all the parties. NDRCivP, Rule 54(b). Without a Rule 54(b) certification, the summary judgment dismissing only the Olsons is not ap-pealable. Central Power Elec. Co-op., 512 N.W.2d at 714. Rule 54(b) clearly applies in multiple party claims that do not adjudicate all the claims against all the parties. Peterson v. Zerr, 443 N.W.2d 293, 296 (N.D.1989). If ever a case clearly and explicitly falls within the parameters of Rule 54(b), this is it. At oral argument, the Hurts’ counsel conceded that neither a judgment nor a dismissal was entered against Tyler Freeland, leaving claims against him wholly unadjudieated.

[¶ 6] As this Court has frequently stated, we do not have authority to render advisory opinions, and the purpose of Rule 54(b) is to preserve our policy against piecemeal appeals. See, e.g., In re Estate of Zimmerman, 1997 ND 58, ¶¶ 6, 8, 561 N.W.2d 642; Sickler v. Kirkwood, 1997 ND 40, ¶ 5, 560 N.W.2d 532. When adjudicated and unadjudieated claims arise from the same transaction and are legally and factually intertwined, reviewing only some of the claims on appeal is uneconomical for this Court. Janavaras v. National Farmers Union Property, 449 N.W.2d 578, 581 (N.D.1989); Club Broadway, Inc. v. Broadway Park, 443 N.W.2d 919, 922 (N.D.1989).

[¶ 7] Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed.

Ill

[¶ 8] The Olsons moved to strike portions of the Hurts’ brief and appendix on appeal. The Olsons assert the Hurts included inappropriate materials in the appendix, including items not a part of the record below, in violation of Rule 28 and Rule 30, NDRAppP. The Olsons request costs and attorney’s fees incurred for the extra expense of bringing a motion to strike those items from the record on appeal.

*269 [¶ 9] The Olsons claim facts were presented in the Hurts’ appellate brief that were not a part of the record, including comments regarding the criminal trial of Cory Meyer. The Olsons also claim four documents not in the record below were included in the Hurts’ appendix on appeal, including two documents from the criminal case against Cory Meyer 2 and a notice and affidavit of mailing on the RICO claims sent to the Attorney General, but never filed in this action.

[¶ 10] Rule 28(a), (e), NDRAppP, requires a concise statement of the ease in an appellate brief, with references to the appendix page supporting the statement. Statements of fact were made in the Hurts’ brief without appropriate references in support being noted, a violation of the rule.

[¶ 11] Rule 30(a), NDRAppP, states: “Only items actually in the record may be included in the appendix. A signature on the brief, under Rule 28 certifies compliance with this rule.” Upon review of the appendix certified by Mr. Dickson, and comparing it with the record certified by the Clerk of Court, it is clear that four documents are in the appendix that were not in the record below. Not only were these extra-record documents in the appendix, they were also referred to by Mr. Dickson in his appellate brief.

[¶ 12] This Court applies Rule 13, NDRAppP, as an enforcement tool to encourage compliance with the North Dakota Rules of Appellate Procedure. Reinecke v. Griffeth, 533 N.W.2d 695, 702-03 (N.D.1995). Rule 13, NDRAppP, provides: “The supreme court may take any appropriate action against any person failing to perform an act required by the rules or required by court order.”

[¶ 13] “The determination whether to administer sanctions for noncomplianee with the Rules of Appellate Procedure rests wholly within the discretion of this court.” Lake Region Credit Union v. Crystal Pure Water, Inc., 502 N.W.2d 524, 528 (N.D.1993).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Estate of Lepp
2025 ND 216 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2025)
Boyda v. Boyda, et al.
2025 ND 193 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2025)
Estate of Kish
2024 ND 76 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2024)
Klundt v. Benjamin
2019 ND 160 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2019)
City of Mandan v. Strata Corp.
2012 ND 173 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Disciplinary Board v. Feland
2012 ND 174 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Dorothy J. Pierce Family Mineral Trust v. Jorgenson
2012 ND 100 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Watts v. Magic 2 x 52 Management, Inc.
2012 ND 99 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Erickson v. Brown
2012 ND 43 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Haroldson v. Haroldson
2012 ND 44 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
Carpenter v. Rohrer
2006 ND 111 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2006)
Oien v. Oien
2005 ND 205 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2005)
Chapman v. Chapman
2004 ND 22 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2004)
Deptuch v. Lindberg
2003 ND 142 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2003)
United Valley Bank v. Lamb
2003 ND 149 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2003)
Hanson v. Hanson
2003 ND 20 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2003)
City of Fargo v. Wonder
2002 ND 142 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2002)
Black v. Abex Corp.
1999 ND 236 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1999)
Reeves v. Chepulis
1999 ND 63 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1999)
Hurt v. Freeland
1999 ND 12 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1997 ND 194, 569 N.W.2d 266, 1997 N.D. LEXIS 240, 1997 WL 598269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hurt-v-freeland-nd-1997.