Opinion ID: 2227972
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether Permission to Appeal Should Be Granted

Text: Under Iowa Rule of Appellate Procedure 1(d), an appeal improperly presented as arising from a final judgment is regarded as an application for interlocutory appeal. Rule 2(a) provides the standard to be utilized in deciding whether to grant or deny an application for interlocutory appeal. Pursuant to these rules, we consider Roger's appeal from the district court's temporary custody order as an application for interlocutory appeal. In order to grant the application we must find: (1) that the court's order involves substantial rights; (2) the order will materially affect the final decision; and (3) that a determination of the order's correctness before trial on the merits will better serve the interests of justice. See Iowa R.App. P. 2(a); Banco Mortgage Co. v. Steil, 351 N.W.2d 784, 787 (Iowa 1984) (test for granting permission to appeal for those appeals improvidently taken from interlocutory orders is same as test applied under rule 2(a)). We note that in prior cases [w]e have been very reluctant to allow interlocutory appeals in this manner. In re W.D. III, 562 N.W.2d 183, 186 (Iowa 1997); see also In re Marriage of Graziano, 573 N.W.2d 598, 600 (Iowa 1998) (We ... cannot and do not grant permission under rule 1(d) merely because child placement is implicated.). We find Roger's appeal fails to satisfy at least one of the necessary requirements for granting interlocutory appeal. The district court's decision on the temporary custody issue does not materially affect the final decision. Although Roger argues otherwise, which party is awarded custody of the couple's child or children on a temporary basis is not a factor that the district court is to consider in determining the final custody arrangement. See Iowa Code § 598.41. Moreover, we have great faith in the district court that the award of temporary custody to Nicole will not unduly influence the final custody determination. We also find that granting interlocutory appeal in this case would not better serve the interests of justice. As noted above in our discussion of whether a temporary custody order is final or interlocutory, granting an interlocutory appeal in this situation would only serve to slow the litigation process and could result in the child being uprooted from his or her home more times than is necessary in a typical custody situation. Further, we note that the district court granted Roger liberal visitation rights in its temporary order and the parties live near one another, which would further foster visitation opportunities. We deny permission for interlocutory appeal pursuant to Iowa Rules of Appellate Procedure 1(d) and 2(a). This ruling necessitates dismissal of the appeal and we need not consider the merits. APPEAL DISMISSED.