Opinion ID: 1313286
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Melodie next claims an applicant has no statutory right to appeal a decision of the referee to a district judge. She claims an applicant must file a new petition for involuntary hospitalization if dissatisfied with the dismissal of a case by the referee. We agree with the district judge that the governing statute does not give an applicant a right to appeal to a district judge from an order by the referee. Instead, that right is reserved to the patient. Iowa Code § 229.21(3) (1997). Furthermore, it only applies to appeals from orders by the referee finding a patient to be seriously mentally impaired. Id. Thus, the district judge in this case properly dismissed the appeal. It had no subject matter jurisdiction to hear the matter. Notwithstanding, this case comes before us on a notice of appeal not only from the decision of the district court, but also the decision of the hospitalization referee. This notice of appeal was timely filed within thirty days of the dismissal order entered by the referee. Thus, we must decide if we properly acquired jurisdiction to consider the issues presented through the timely notice of appeal from the order of the referee. The right to appeal is strictly governed by statute. See James v. State, 479 N.W.2d 287, 290 (Iowa 1991). The hospitalization statute does not specifically authorize an applicant to appeal. However, the hospitalization process is a civil proceeding under the jurisdiction of the district court. Under our appellate rules, a final civil judgment of the district court may be appealed to the supreme court. Iowa R.App. P. 1(a). Therefore, we must decide if the dismissal order by the referee constituted a final judgment of the district court for the purposes of an appeal. We have previously considered whether juvenile court referees and probate referees could issue final decisions for the purpose of appeal. In In re D.W.K., 365 N.W.2d 32 (Iowa 1985), we held that a juvenile court referee had concurrent jurisdiction to issue a final decision for the purposes of appeal since our legislature, in defining the authority of a referee, specified the referee had the same jurisdiction to ... issue orders ... as the judge of the juvenile court. D.W.K., 365 N.W.2d at 33-34. On the other hand, we found no direct appeal existed from a decision by a probate referee because the governing statute reflected no similar grant of concurrent jurisdiction. In re Estate of Willis, 418 N.W.2d 857, 859 (Iowa 1988). Instead, we held a party needed to first seek district court review of a decision of the probate referee before invoking appellate jurisdiction. Id. Although jurisdiction over hospitalization proceedings exists with the district court, our legislature established hospitalization referees to assist the district court in discharging the general duties of the hospitalization process. It specifically provided that the orders issued by referees in the discharge of those duties have the same force and effect as if ordered by a district judge. Iowa Code § 229.21(2). Furthermore, except for commitment orders under section 229.21(3), the legislature did not provide for district court review of orders entered by referees. This lack of review reveals that an order for dismissal by the referee constitutes a final judgment for the purposes of appeal. See D.W.K., 365 N.W.2d at 34. Thus, this case is properly before us to consider the authority of the referee to dismiss the case. [1]