Opinion ID: 2222251
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: appellate jurisdictionfinal order

Text: Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to settle jurisdictional issues presented by a case. Ryan v. Ryan, 257 Neb. 682, 600 N.W.2d 739 (1999). This case presents a jurisdictional issue with respect to the finality of the award of the single judge, because certain matters, set forth above, were not expressly discussed in the award. A party may appeal from a court's order only if the decision is a final, appealable order. Sydow v. City of Grand Island, 263 Neb. 389, 639 N.W.2d 913 (2002). Neb.Rev.Stat. § 48-179 (Cum. Supp.2002) provides that [e]ither party at interest who refuses to accept the final findings, order, award, or judgment of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court on the original hearing may, within fourteen days after the date thereof, file with the compensation court an application for review before the compensation court.... Under § 48-179, the appeal from the single judge to the review panel must be taken from a final order. Thompson v. Kiewit Constr. Co., 258 Neb. 323, 603 N.W.2d 368 (1999). Both Dawes and Wittrock argue that this court should overrule the decision of the Court of Appeals in Delgado v. IBP, Inc., 11 Neb.App. 165, 645 N.W.2d 831 (2002). Dawes concedes that if Delgado is applied in the instant case, the order of the single judge is not a final, appealable order. In Delgado and a companion case, Hamm v. Champion Manuf. Homes, 11 Neb.App. 183, 645 N.W.2d 571 (2002), the Court of Appeals addressed the issue of final, appealable orders in workers' compensation cases and dismissed both appeals after raising the question of appellate jurisdiction sua sponte. In Hamm, the single judge entered an award of temporary total disability and permanent partial disability benefits, but expressly reserved ruling on medical expenses and mileage due and owing, and set a hearing date to resolve the latter issues. The employer filed an application for review. The review panel affirmed in part and reversed in part, and remanded the case to the single judge to resolve the medical expenses and mileage. The employer appealed. The Court of Appeals, on its own motion, determined that the order of the single judge was not a final, appealable order because it did not resolve all the issues before it and, thus, that both the review panel and the Court of Appeals lacked jurisdiction over the case. Id. The Court of Appeals vacated the order of the review panel and remanded the cause with directions for the review panel to dismiss the application for review. Id. In Delgado, supra, released on the same date, the single judge awarded permanent partial disability and temporary partial disability benefits and medical expenses, but made no findings or order concerning other issues presented by the claimant's petition, including vocational rehabilitation, penalties, interest, or attorney fees. Unlike Hamm, in Delgado, the single judge did not expressly reserve ruling on the issues; rather, the single judge's order simply failed to discuss them. The employee applied for review of the award, but the review panel decided that the single judge's failure to address the remaining issues was not error because the absence of a specific finding indicated that the single judge found a lack of merit to the employee's claims. The review panel decided, however, that the single judge had failed to provide a reasoned decision about the employee's loss of earning capacity, and remanded the case to the single judge for a decision on that issue. The employee appealed, and the Court of Appeals rejected the review panel's conclusion that the single judge made an implied ruling denying interest, penalties, and attorney fees by not discussing or ruling upon such matters. Id. The Court of Appeals stated that it was impossible... to know whether the trial judge actually intended an implied denial or whether he simply forgot to rule upon those issues. Id. at 168, 645 N.W.2d at 834. The Court of Appeals concluded that the order of the single judge was nonfinal, vacated the order of the review panel, and remanded the cause with directions to dismiss the application for review. Generally, when multiple issues are presented to a trial court for simultaneous disposition in the same proceeding and the court decides some of the issues, while reserving some issue or issues for later determination, the court's determination of less than all the issues is an interlocutory order and is not a final order for the purpose of an appeal. Huffman v. Huffman, 236 Neb. 101, 459 N.W.2d 215 (1990). This principle underlies the Court of Appeals' decision in Hamm v. Champion Manuf. Homes, 11 Neb.App. 183, 645 N.W.2d 571 (2002), in which issues were expressly reserved by the single judge for later determination. The instant case is distinguishable, however, as the issues not discussed in the award were not expressly reserved for later determination. It is apparent, from an examination of the award and the procedural posture of the case, that the award was meant to be a final determination of the rights and liabilities of the parties. We recently addressed a similar situation in Olson v. Palagi, 266 Neb. 377, 665 N.W.2d 582 (2003). In Olson, the respondent to a petition to modify a child support obligation asked, in her answer to the petition, to be awarded attorney fees and costs. The district court's order disposing of the petition, however, did not speak to attorney fees and costs. After the judgment was entered, the respondent filed an application for attorney fees and costs. The petitioner then appealed the merits of the order, and the respondent did not cross-appeal. After the appeal was disposed of, the district court held a hearing and awarded the respondent attorney fees and costs. See id. On appeal from the order of attorney fees and costs, we determined that the district court did not have jurisdiction to award attorney fees and costs. Id. We noted that attorney fees, where recoverable, are generally treated as an element of court costs. Id., citing Salkin v. Jacobsen, 263 Neb. 521, 641 N.W.2d 356 (2002). We stated that an award of costs in a judgment is considered part of the judgment and that a party seeking a statutorily authorized attorney fee, for services rendered in a trial court, must make a request for such fees prior to a judgment in the cause, so the award of attorney fees, if appropriate, may be made a part of the judgment or final order. Id. Applying those principles, we concluded that the order of the district court disposing of the petition to modify was a final, appealable order. Id. The silence of the judgment on the issue of attorney fees must be construed as a denial of [the respondent's] request [for attorney fees] under these circumstances. Id. at 380, 665 N.W.2d 582. Because the respondent failed to appeal from the district court's implicit denial of attorney fees, the respondent later had no recourse for the recovery of such fees. See id. The same principles guide our resolution of the situation presented in the instant case. The single judge's order was clearly intended to serve as a final adjudication of the rights and liabilities of the parties. No issues were reserved for further determination. As a practical matter, the substantial effect of the judgment was to dispose of the entire case, end the litigation, and leave nothing for the court to do. See Alaskans for a Common Language v. Kritz, 3 P.3d 906 (Alaska 2000). See, e.g., Lehmann v. Har-Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191 (Tex.2001); UAP-Columbus JV 326132 v. Nesbitt, 234 Cal.App.3d 1028, 285 Cal.Rptr. 856 (1991), citing Lyon v. Goss, 19 Cal.2d 659, 123 P.2d 11 (1942). The silence of the single judge's order on the requests for relief not spoken to, including medical expenses and waiting-time penalties, must be construed as a denial of those requests under the circumstances. As a practical matter, the single judge affected a final adjudication by failing to award certain aspects of the relief requested by Dawes. Had the single judge expressly reserved ruling on those matters, the award would not have been final. See Hamm v. Champion Manuf. Homes, 11 Neb.App. 183, 645 N.W.2d 571 (2002). However, Dawes asked for benefits, and the single judge, by awarding some of those benefits and failing to reserve any issues for later determination, effectively denied Dawes' remaining claims, and the resulting award was final and appealable. To the extent that Delgado v. IBP, Inc., 11 Neb.App. 165, 645 N.W.2d 831 (2002), and Martinez v. Greater Omaha Packing, 12 Neb.App. 10, 664 N.W.2d 486 (2003), would indicate otherwise, they are hereby disapproved. We note, however, that while the single judge's omissions are not fatal to the finality of this award, they may nonetheless constitute error requiring reversal or remand of the cause. Workers' Comp. Ct. R. of Proc. 11 (2000) provides: All parties are entitled to reasoned decisions which contain findings of fact and conclusions of law based upon the whole record which clearly and concisely state and explain the rationale for the decision so that all interested parties can determine why and how a particular result was reached. The judge shall specify the evidence upon which the judge relies. The decision shall provide the basis for a meaningful appellate review. In Owen v. American Hydraulics, 254 Neb. 685, 578 N.W.2d 57 (1998), this court determined that certain statements in the order of the single judge were contradictory on the question of the employer's liability. Citing rule 11, we determined that [n]either party should prevail on the basis of an ambiguity. Owen, 254 Neb. at 695, 578 N.W.2d at 64. Finding that the failure of the single judge to clearly determine the issue precluded meaningful appellate review, we remanded the cause to the single judge with directions to enter an order complying with the requirements of rule 11. Owen, supra . See, also, Torres v. Aulick Leasing, 258 Neb. 859, 606 N.W.2d 98 (2000); Hale v. Standard Meat Co., 251 Neb. 37, 554 N.W.2d 424 (1996). The situation is somewhat analogous to those faced by the appellate courts of this state when district courts, in determining child support, have failed to supplement their orders with the completed forms required by the Nebraska Child Support Guidelines. See, e.g., Brooks v. Brooks, 261 Neb. 289, 622 N.W.2d 670 (2001). In such instances, while the lower court's failure to include necessary findings is not a jurisdictional defect, it may nonetheless be error requiring a remand for a proper calculation of support. See id.