Complex sentence: While appellate departments can be persuaded by the decisions of their sister appellate departments, such decisions are not binding authority from one department to another--a decision of an appellate department is binding only on that department and the lower courts within it.
Split into simpler sentences: While appellate departments can be persuaded by authority from their sister appellate departments, such authority is not binding. A decision of an appellate department is binding only on that department and the lower courts within it.