Opinion ID: 2335333
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Laws's Alleged Procedural Bars

Text: Laws raises two procedural bars to our consideration of the merits of this case. First, he contends that the notice of appeal was untimely. Secondly, he urges that the summary-judgment order appealed from was not a final, appealable order for purposes of Ark. R. Civ. P. 54(b). Neither of these arguments has merit. Laws first argues that the notice of appeal was untimely. He points to the fact that the appeal was taken solely from the trial court's March 23, 2000, order of partial summary judgment on breach of fiduciary duty. Thus, Laws argues, Ms. Cole's notice of appeal dated September 12, 2001, was untimely under Ark. R.App. P.Civ. 4(a), which requires the notice of appeal to be filed within thirty days of the entry of the order appealed. Ms. Cole correctly counters with the fact that this argument has already been decided by this court, since we previously denied a motion to dismiss this appeal which raised the same issue of the lack of a timely notice of appeal. But more importantly, had Ms. Cole filed her notice of appeal after entry of the March 23, 2000 order granting partial summary judgment, the appeal would have been premature under Ark. R. Civ. P. 54(b), because that order appealed from did not resolve all claims involving all parties. See, e.g., Hambay v. Williams, 335 Ark. 352, 980 S.W.2d 263 (1998) (order granting partial summary judgment not a final appealable order under Rule 54(b)); Cordell v. Nadeau, 321 Ark. 300, 900 S.W.2d 556 (1995) (order granting partial summary judgment was a final appealable order only because trial court certified the order pursuant to Rule 54(b)). In the case before us, the trial court did not certify the partial summary judgment as appealable pursuant to Rule 54(b). Thus, Ms. Cole's decision to wait to appeal until entry of a final judgment was correct. At that time, all claims involving all parties had been resolved.