Opinion ID: 2007897
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: District Court Jurisdictional Issue

Text: MUD claims that Liberty did not properly perfect its appeal from the award in the Douglas County Court. MUD raised the issue in its reply brief before this court. On December 12, 2002, Liberty filed a notice of appeal in the Douglas County Court from the appraisers' $55,000 award. Attached to this notice was a certificate of service. MUD claims that Liberty did not correctly file a proof of such service as required by Neb.Rev.Stat. § 76-715.01 (Reissue 2003) and that, therefore, the district court did not acquire jurisdiction of the appeal. The manner of perfecting an appeal to the district court from an award by appraisers in a condemnation proceeding is governed by § 76-715.01, which provides: The party appealing from the award for assessment of damages by the appraisers in any eminent domain action shall, within thirty days of the filing of the award, file a notice of appeal with the court, specifying the parties taking the appeal and the award thereof appealed from, and shall serve a copy of the same upon all parties bound by the award or upon their attorneys of record. Service may be made by mail, and proof of such service shall be made by an affidavit of the appellant filed with the court within five days after the filing of the notice stating that such notice of appeal was duly mailed or that after diligent search the addresses of such persons or their attorneys of record are unknown. (Emphasis supplied.) Liberty timely filed a notice of appeal in the Douglas County Court. However, instead of an affidavit as proof of service of the notice of appeal, Liberty filed a Certificate of Service. MUD claims the failure to file an affidavit as proof of service of the notice was jurisdictional and that Liberty therefore did not perfect its appeal to the district court. MUD argues that Wooden v. County of Douglas, 16 Neb.App. 336, 744 N.W.2d 262 (2008), controls this jurisdictional question. We disagree. In Wooden v. County of Douglas, 275 Neb. 971, 751 N.W.2d 151 (2008), the issue was whether the timely filing of the affidavit of proof of service was necessary to vest the district court with jurisdiction of the condemnation appeal. The Court of Appeals had concluded that the timely filing of such affidavit was jurisdictional. We reversed because we concluded that the timely filing of such an affidavit was directory and, therefore, not jurisdictional. In the case at bar, the notice of appeal was timely filed and the proper parties were served with the notice of appeal. Having determined that all lower courts and appellate courts were properly vested with jurisdiction, we proceed to the merits of the appeal before us.