Opinion ID: 2037131
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: COURT OF APPEALS' HOLDINGS IN Vopalka v. Abraham

Text: The Court of Appeals' disposition of this case was premised on two holdings. First, the Court of Appeals held that § 25-217 is self-executing and, thus, an action is dismissed by operation of law as to any defendant who has not been served within 6 months after the petition was filed. Vopalka v. Abraham, supra . This holding was based on the Court of Appeals' prior decisions in Cotton v. Fruge, 8 Neb.App. 484, 596 N.W.2d 32 (1999), and McDaneld v. Fischer, 8 Neb.App. 160, 589 N.W.2d 172 (1999). Second, the Court of Appeals held that after dismissal by operation of law, a trial court lacks jurisdiction to enter any orders in such action, except to formalize the dismissal, and that any orders other than a formal dismissal of the case made by the trial court subsequent to the dismissal by operation of law are nullities. Vopalka v. Abraham, supra . The second holding was based on the Court of Appeals' similar decision in Cotton. Based on these holdings, the Court of Appeals concluded that Vopalka's unserved petition was dismissed by operation of law on October 7, 1998, which was 6 months after filing the petition, and that the district court lacked jurisdiction after October 7, either to reinstate the action or to enter summary judgment. We note that no further review was sought in either McDaneld or Cotton, and we have not previously had occasion to decide the issues surrounding the effect of § 25-217 upon actions in which the defendant has not been served with a petition within 6 months of filing the petition. In order to review the decision of the Court of Appeals in the instant case, we must decide whether the Court of Appeals was correct in holding that § 25-217 is self-executing and in holding that dismissal by operation of law under § 25-217 deprives the trial court of jurisdiction to take action subsequent to such dismissal other than to formalize the dismissal. In connection with our analysis of Vopalka v. Abraham, 9 Neb.App. 285, 610 N.W.2d 433 (2000), a brief review of the decisions in McDaneld and Cotton is useful.