Opinion ID: 783632
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: City Mortgage's Failure to File an Appellate Brief

Text: 6 First, we must determine what consequences, if any, City Mortgage faces for not filing a brief in this appeal. Although not a situation we confront often, on a previous occasion, we have addressed the effects of this unhelpful and highly risky form of appellate advocacy: 7 An initial question presented ... is the effect of appellee Allgeier's failure to file a brief on appeal. While Allgeier did not file a brief, his counsel was present at oral argument and offered to answer any questions the panel might have. Neither the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure nor our local rules suggest that an appellee's failure to file a brief should be penalized by a decision in favor of the appellant. Instead, Fed.R.App. P. 31(c) provides in such a case that the appellee will not be heard at oral argument except by permission of the court. See, e.g., H.C. by Hewett v. Jarrard, 786 F.2d 1080, 1083 n. 1 (11th Cir.1986). Our court rules do not address this issue.... While Rule 31(c) also authorizes us to dismiss the appeal where the appellant fails to file a brief to support his burden of persuasion, see id., we believe that an appellee's failure to file a brief should normally carry with it only the oral argument sanction called for by the Rule. However, we do not address the power of the court to impose additional sanctions should it specifically order the filing of a brief and the appellee without adequate reason fails to comply. 8 Allgeier v. United States, 909 F.2d 869, 871 n. 3 (6th Cir.1990) (emphasis in original). In this appeal, City Mortgage has not flouted the authority of this court. Accordingly, pursuant to Allgeier, and, like the proceedings below, a decision in favor of the Talberts, or, in the alternative, the imposition of some other sanction against City Mortgage, is not compelled.