Title: State v. Joeval M. Jones

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2002 WI 53 
 
 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
01-1155-CR 
 
 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
Plaintiff-Respondent, 
 
v. 
Joeval M. Jones,  
 
Defendant-Appellant. 
 
 
 
 
PETITIONS FOR REVIEW AND CROSS-REVIEW 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
May 24, 2002   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
CONCURRED: 
        
 
DISSENTED: 
        
 
NOT PARTICIPATING:         
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
2002 WI 53 
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.  01-1155-CR  
(L.C. No. 
00 CF 612) 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
 
Plaintiff-Respondent, 
 
              v. 
 
Joeval M. Jones,  
 
 
Defendant-Appellant. 
 
FILED 
 
MAY 24, 2002 
 
Cornelia G. Clark 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
 
PETITIONS for review and cross-review.  Petitions denied 
and cause remanded with directions.   
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   The state seeks review of the court of 
appeals' decision in this case dated and filed December 11, 
2001.  The defendant-appellant, Joeval M. Jones, also has filed 
a petition for cross-review pursuant to Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 
809.62(7) asking this court to review the issue he raises if 
this court grants the state's petition for review.   
¶2 
On December 10, 2001, the day before the court of 
appeals' decision in this matter was dated and filed, Jones 
filed a notice of voluntary dismissal which stated that he was 
No. 
01-1155-CR   
 
2 
 
voluntarily dismissing his appeal in this case pursuant to 
Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.18.1 
¶3 
After the petition for review and the petition for 
cross-review were filed, Jones filed a document in the court of 
appeals entitled "MOTION FOR ORDER DISMISSING JOEVAL M. JONES' 
APPEAL PURSUANT TO HIS NOTICE OF VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL FILED ON 
DECEMBER 10, 2001."  In that motion Jones asserted that pursuant 
to State v. Lee, 197 Wis. 2d 959, 972, 542 N.W.2d 143 (1996), 
the appellate court was required to dismiss his appeal because 
his notice of voluntary dismissal had been filed the day before 
the court of appeals filed its decision in this case on December 
11, 2001. 
¶4 
On February 28, 2002, the court of appeals rejected 
that motion stating the court had no jurisdiction to address it 
because under Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.62(5), the filing of the 
state's petition for review on January 10, 2002, operated to 
stay further proceedings in the court of appeals.  Moreover, the 
court asserted that even if it had jurisdiction to address 
Jones' February 12 motion which sought to implement his December 
                                                 
1 Wisconsin Stat. § (Rule) 809.18 provides as follows: 
Rule (Voluntary Dismissal).  An appellant may dismiss 
a filed appeal by filing a notice of dismissal in the 
court or, if the appeal is not yet filed, in the trial 
court.  The dismissal of an appeal does not affect the 
status of a cross-appeal or the right of a respondent 
to file a cross-appeal.   
All statutory references are to the 1999-2000 version 
unless otherwise noted.   
No. 
01-1155-CR   
 
3 
 
10 notice of voluntary dismissal, the court said it would "elect 
to deny the motion . . . because our decision was issued to the 
parties prior to the receipt of the notice of voluntary 
dismissal." 
¶5 
On March 27, 2002, the court of appeals clarified that 
February 28 order and explained the time sequence in more 
detail.  The court noted that under the practice and procedures 
of the clerk's office, appellate opinions are mailed to the 
parties the day before the opinions are dated and filed; 
consequently, Jones' December 10, 2001, voluntary dismissal 
notice was actually filed the same day the court of appeals' 
opinion in this matter had been mailed to the parties.  Thus, 
according to the appellate court, as a practical matter, it 
could not have retrieved its opinion because it had been mailed 
by the time Jones' voluntary dismissal notice was filed and 
received by the panel that decided this appeal.   
¶6 
We conclude that this situation is controlled by State 
v. Lee, 197 Wis. 2d 959, 542 N.W.2d 143 (1996), where this court 
held that the court of appeals may not refuse to dismiss an 
appeal when an appellant notifies the court of voluntary 
dismissal of the appeal pursuant to Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.18 
prior to the court of appeals' issuance of a decision on the 
merits of the appeal.  Specifically, the Lee court wrote: 
[w]e conclude that the court of appeals must dismiss 
an appeal when an appellant files a notice of 
voluntary dismissal pursuant to Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 
809.18 before the court of appeals issues a decision 
on the appeal.  Upon dismissal of an appeal, the 
No. 
01-1155-CR   
 
4 
 
appellant is returned to the same position occupied 
before the appeal was initiated.   
197 Wis. 2d at 972. 
¶7 
Lee 
mandates 
that 
Jones' 
notice 
of 
voluntary 
dismissal, filed in this case the day before the court of 
appeals issued its opinion in this matter, must be given effect.  
Although the court of appeals' opinion might have been mailed to 
the parties on the same day as Jones filed his notice of 
voluntary dismissal, the appellate court's decision bore the 
file stamp indicating that it was "dated and filed December 11, 
2001."  That December 11 filing date stamped on the first page 
of the court of appeals' decision has significance because it 
starts the 30-day period in which a petition for review must be 
filed.  See Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 808.09; see also St. John's Home 
v. Continental Cas. Co., 150 Wis. 2d 37, 42-43, 441 N.W.2d 219 
(1988).   
¶8 
Although this court in Lee did not specifically define 
when a court of appeals' decision is "issued," in St. John's 
Home this court equated the date stamped on the court of 
appeals' decision or order as the date it was "issued and 
filed."  Id. at 43.  The fact that the clerk's office as a 
matter of convenience and courtesy mails appellate decisions to 
the parties the day before they are "dated and filed" does not 
mean that those decisions are to be deemed to have been "issued" 
as of that mailing date.  Consistent with past practice and 
common understanding, we conclude that appellate court decisions 
are "issued" on the date they are filed and that date is 
No. 
01-1155-CR   
 
5 
 
identified by the date stamped on the first page of the 
decision.2  The notice of voluntary dismissal of the appeal filed 
by Jones on December 10, 2001, operated to automatically dismiss 
his appeal with no further action needed from the court of 
appeals.  We conclude the court of appeals' decision dated 
December 11, 2001, must be withdrawn even though the panel of 
the appellate court deciding that appeal might not have been 
aware on that date of Jones' notice of voluntary dismissal.  
Accordingly,  
¶9 
IT IS ORDERED that we deny the petition for review and 
the petition for cross-review and remand this matter to the 
court of appeals with directions to withdraw its December 11, 
2001, decision in this case thereby returning the defendant-
appellant to the same position he occupied before he initiated 
his 
appeal 
from 
the 
circuit 
court's 
order 
denying 
his 
postconviction motion.  Lee, 197 Wis. 2d at 972.  
                                                 
2 Wisconsin Ct. App. IOP VI (5)(g) (Oct. 1, 2001) recognizes 
that court of appeals' opinions and decisions are released to 
the parties and the public and docketed and filed by the clerk's 
office on the same date.  
No. 
01-1155-CR   
 
 
 
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