Case Title: Wiens v. American Motors Corp.

Citation: 

Docket Number: 85-86

State: wyoming

Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

Date: 1986-04-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
Wiens v. American Motors Corp.1986 WY 82717 P.2d 322Case Number: 85-86Decided: 04/01/1986Supreme Court of Wyoming
Frank E. WIENS, Appellant 
(Plaintiff),

v.

AMERICAN MOTORS 
CORPORATION, Appellee (Defendant).

Appeal from District 
Court, CarbonCounty, Robert A. Hill, 
J.

William D. 
Norman, Casper, 
for appellant.

Richard A. Waltz 
of Hall & Evans, Denver, Colo., and Nick Kalokathis, Cheyenne, for appellee.

Before THOMAS, C.J., ROONEY*, BROWN and CARDINE, JJ., and GUTHRIE, J., 
Retired.

* Retired November 30, 
1985.

ORDER DISMISSING 
APPEAL

PER 
CURIAM.

[¶1.]     This case came on 
before the court upon the record, the briefs of counsel for both parties, and 
their oral arguments. The court has carefully examined and reviewed the record 
and briefs; has considered the oral arguments; and concludes that it has all the 
necessary information to deal with the question of the jurisdiction of the court 
in this case.

[¶2.]     The Order of Dismissal, 
from which the appeal is taken, was entered on February 22, 1985. The time for 
filing a notice of appeal with respect to that Order of Dismissal expired on 
March 11, 1985. On March 15, 1985, the district court entered an Order for 
Extension of Time for Which to File Notice of Appeal, and that order recites 
that the attorney for the appellant requested the extension by telephone on 
March 11, 1985. The notice of appeal in this case then was filed on March 15, 
1985.

[¶3.]     Rule 2.01, W.R.A.P., 
provides in pertinent part that:

"An appeal * * * shall be 
taken by filing a notice of appeal within fifteen (15) days from the entry of 
the judgment or final order appealed from * * * except that (1) upon a showing 
of excusable neglect the district court in any action may extend the time for 
filing notice of appeal not exceeding fifteen (15) days from the expiration of 
the original time prescribed herein, provided the application for extension of 
time is filed and the order entered prior to the expiration of thirty (30) 
days from the entry of judgment or final order appealed from * * *." [Emphasis 
added.]

[¶4.]     It is apparent that in 
order for an application for extension of time to be filed in accordance with 
Rule 2.01, W.R.A.P., it must be a written application, and it must encompass a 
showing of excusable neglect. The record before the court contained no written 
application for the extension of time. None was filed. We can find nothing in 
the record to disclose any showing, by virtue of the written application or 
otherwise, of excusable neglect.

[¶5.]     From these 
circumstances we conclude that the district court exceeded its authority in 
extending the time for filing the notice of appeal in this instance, and the 
Order for Extension of Time in Which to File Notice of Appeal was entered 
improperly. Our conclusion that the order of the district court did not extend 
the time for the appellant to file a notice of appeal requires that we find the 
notice of appeal not to have been filed timely. Timely filing of a notice of 
appeal is jurisdictional, and in the absence of a timely notice of appeal this 
court should dismiss. In re Estate of Campbell, 
Wyo., 673 P.2d 645, 648 (1983); Cates v. 
Barb, Wyo., 650 P.2d 1159, 1160 (1982); Sanderson v. State, Wyo., 649 P.2d 677, 679 
(1982).

[¶6.]     Because there was no 
timely notice of appeal in this case we conclude that the jurisdiction of this 
court was not invoked and that the appeal should be dismissed, and it therefore 
is

[¶7.]     ORDERED that this case 
be, and the same hereby is, dismissed.