Opinion ID: 1712150
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: analysis

Text: Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the matter before it. Keef v. State, 262 Neb. 622, 634 N.W.2d 751 (2001). Notwithstanding whether the parties raise the issue of jurisdiction, an appellate court has a duty to raise and determine the issue of jurisdiction sua sponte. Id. This matter was previously before the Court of Appeals, which dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, finding that the district court's order did not adjudicate all of the claims of the parties and was not a final, appealable order. When the district court entered its June 30, 2000, order, § 25-705(6) stated: When more than one claim for relief is presented in an action, whether as a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, or when multiple parties are involved, the court may direct the entry of a final judgment as to one or more but fewer than all of the claims or parties only upon an express determination that there is no just reason for delay and upon an express direction for the entry of judgment. In the absence of such determination and direction, any order or other form of decision, however designated, which adjudicates fewer than all the claims or the rights and liabilities of fewer than all the parties shall not terminate the action as to any of the claims or parties, and the order or other form of decision is subject to revision at any time before the entry of judgment adjudicating all the claims and the rights and liabilities of all the parties. The order reviewed by the Court of Appeals in case No. A-00-785 granted partial summary judgment to Sousa, stating: To the extent that [Tri-Par]'s case is one of subrogation, there is no genuine issue of material fact and [Sousa] is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. For those damages asserted by [Tri-Par] that fall outside of subrogated interests, [Sousa]'s motion for summary judgment is overruled on both causes of action. [Tri-Par]'s motion for summary judgment is overruled. The Court of Appeals dismissed case No. A-00-785 on September 1, 2000, and the mandate was issued on October 6. On October 10, Tri-Par filed a motion for entry of final judgment, in which it asked the district court to enter a final judgment as to the court's order of June 30. On October 12, the district court entered an order finding no just reason for delaying the entry of a final judgment with respect to this Court's Order of June 30, 2000[,] granting summary judgment in favor of the Defendants [sic] to the extent that the Plaintiff's claim is one of subrogation. The district court stated that the parties should not be required to wait to have the summary judgment finalized, and the court expressly direct[ed] the entry of an order of final judgment with respect to the summary judgment order of June 30. No further evidence was offered or received prior to entry of the district court's judgment. We conclude that the district court erred in expressly directing entry of an order of final judgment. The operative petition before us names one party plaintiff and one party defendant. Tri-Par seeks relief for the fire damage and loss of rent based upon two theories of recovery: negligence and breach of the lease agreement. There are no separate causes of action but merely two separate theories of recovery. The district court granted partial summary judgment to Sousa [t]o the extent that [Tri-Par]'s case is one of subrogation. Section 25-705(6) concerned cases in which more than one claim for relief was raised or where multiple parties were involved. This action involves only Tri-Par and Sousa, and it does not suggest that more than one claim for relief is involved. It is only when more than one claim for relief or multiple parties are involved that the court may direct entry of a final judgment as to fewer than all the claims or parties. Section 25-705(6) specifically provided that an order which adjudicates fewer than all the claims or the rights and liabilities of fewer than all the parties shall not terminate the action as to any of the claims or parties.... (Emphasis supplied.) The key fact presented here is that there are neither multiple claims nor multiple parties. Therefore, the district court erred in certifying its order as final for purposes of appeal under the statute in effect at the time of the court's initial order, § 25-705(6), which is now codified at § 25-1315(1). The district court's order of June 30, 2000, was not a final, appealable order, and the court's order of October 12 did not cure the defects of the first order. Therefore, this court lacks jurisdiction to hear the appeal.