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REVARD et al. v. WHITE

Oklahoma Supreme Court1929-10-15No. No. 20650
139 Okla. 102

Summary

Holding. The appeal is dismissed because no valid notice of appeal was timely given, no lawful extension of time to serve the case record was obtained, and consequently the court lacks jurisdiction to review the lower court's dismissal order.

Revard and others appealed a county court judgment to the district court, but their attorneys lacked authorization to represent them and the purported estate administrator had not received formal letters of administration. The district court dismissed the appeal based on lack of jurisdiction over these representation issues. The appellants then waited over nine years before filing a motion for new trial in March 1929, and only after that motion was denied did they attempt to appeal to this court, seeking an extension of time to serve their case record.

The court found that filing a motion for new trial after an order denies jurisdiction does not extend the deadline for giving notice of appeal or serving the case record. Because no timely notice of appeal was given within the required period following the March 1920 dismissal order, and because any order extending the service deadline was issued beyond the statutory 15-day window, that extension order was void. Without proper notice of appeal and a valid case record served within the required timeframe, the appellate court lacked jurisdiction to review the case.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether filing a motion for new trial extends the time to give notice of appeal
  • Whether an order extending time to serve a case record made outside the statutory 15-day period is valid
  • Whether appellate jurisdiction exists when notice of appeal is not timely given

Procedural posture

This is an appeal from a district court order dismissing an appeal from a county court judgment, raised by petition in error.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

PER CURTAM.

This is an appeal from the order of the district court of Osage county dismissing an appeal from an order and judgment of the county court of said county.

The order appealed from sustained a motion of the defendant in error to dismiss the appeal in the county court upon the ground the district court was without jurisdiction to hear and determine the cause, for the reason the attorneys perfecting the appeal were not authorized to act for and on behalf of the minors and the purported administrator of the estate involved, appellants in the district court. At the conclusion of the hearing on said motion the court found the attorneys purporting to represent such appellants in the perfecting of the appeal were without authority in so doing and that the purported administrator was also without authority, no letters having been issued to him, and on March 14, 1920, the trial court entered the order appealed from. No notice of appeal was given at the time of the making of said order or within 10 days thereafter, and no order was made extending the time in which to make and serve case-made. On March 16, 1929, a motion for new trial was filed, and on April l; 1929, this motion was overruled. Upon the overruling of the motion for new trial the plaintiffs in error gave notice of appeal and procured an order extending the time in which to make and serve case-made. The case-made attached to the petition in error was served on June 29,1929.

The filing and determining of a motion for new trial of a contested question of fact not arising upon the pleadings, but upon a motion, is unnecessary to authorize this court to review an order made on such hearing. Powell v. Nichols, 20 Okla. 734, 110 Pac. 762; Ginn v. Knight, 106 Okla. 4, 232 Pac. 93; Buchanan v. Eddleman, Adm’x, 125 Okla. 184, 250 Pac. 520. And does not extend the time in which to give notice of appeal. Crawford v. Shintaffer, 92 Okla. 22, 217 Pac. 867. Nor does the filing of such unauthorized motion extend the time in which to make and serve a case-made. Ginn v. Knight, supra; Buchanan v. Eddleman, supra. The order of the court made on April 1, 1929, extending the time in which to make and serve a case-made, is a nullity for the reason the court was without jurisdiction to make the same, such order not having been made within the 15 days’ time allowed by law in which to serve a ease-made after the making of the order appealed from. Petty v. Foster, 122 Okla. 152, 252 Pac. 836. No notice of appeal having been given within the time required by law, this court does not have jurisdiction over the defendant in error. Orawford v. Shintaffer,. supra. The case-made, not having been served within the time allowed by law or a valid order of the court, is a nullity and ■brings nothing ibefore this court for review. Ginn v. Knight, supra, Buchanan v. Eddleman, supra.

Under this condition of the record, there is nothing before this court for review, and the appeal is dismissed.

Note.—See under (2) 2 R. C. L. p. 110; (3) 2 R. C. L. p. 158; R. C. L. Perm. Supp. p. 351. See “Appeal and Error,” 3 C. J. §909, p. 988, n. 44; §1341, p. 1238, n. 53; 4 C. J. §1986, p. 346, n. 66; §1988, p. 348, n. 83.