Opinion ID: 1433803
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: dismissal of petition for review

Text: The Division requests that this appeal be dismissed because Sheneman failed to serve his petition for review on the employer. The Division cites Bridge v. State Dept. of Employment, Unemployment Ins. Com'n, 896 P.2d 759 (Wyo.1995) for the proposition that failure to timely serve a copy of the petition for review on a party constitutes a procedural defect that must be remedied without unnecessary delay to comply with W.R.A.P. 12.03. Failure to do so requires this court to dismiss the appeal pursuant to W.R.A.P. 1.03. W.R.A.P. 1.03 addresses failure to comply with the Wyoming Rules of Appellate Procedure, and states: The timely filing of a notice of appeal, which complies with Rule 2.07(a), is jurisdictional. The failure to comply with any other rule of appellate procedure, or any order of court, does not affect the validity of the appeal, but is ground only for such action as the appellate court deems appropriate, including but not limited to: citation of counsel or a party for contempt; refusal to consider the offending party's contentions; assessment of costs; dismissal; or affirmance. (Emphasis added.) We reject the Division's invitation to dismiss this appeal. Bridge, 896 P.2d at 760 states: The fact that Bridge failed to name, join or serve [his employer] was not a jurisdictional defect requiring dismissal of the petition for review. Here too, the fact that Sheneman failed to name, join or serve his employer was not a jurisdictional defect requiring dismissal of the petition for review. In addition, the issue of whether the Division had authority to establish the Internal Hearing Unit and whether the Internal Hearing Unit has jurisdiction in timeliness of filing determinations is important to previous and future Internal Hearing Unit determinations.