Opinion ID: 3016995
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: The merits of this appeal concern whether the district court could enforce its contempt order by requiring appellants to pay their contempt fines. Before addressing that issue, however, we must first consider whether we have jurisdiction, that is, whether the order appealed from was a final order or was otherwise -2- appealable. It is the duty of the Court of Appeals to satisfy itself as to its jurisdiction to consider an appeal, whether or not the jurisdictional issue is raised by the parties. Stewart v. Bishop, 403 F.2d 674, 677 (8th Cir. 1968). In their jurisdictional statement, appellants cite 28 U.S.C. § 1291. That section provides for Court of Appeals jurisdiction over all final decisions of United States District Courts. A final order is generally one which effectively resolves the merits of the controversy and ends the litigation. Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. v. Bagley, 601 F.2d 949, 952 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 907 (1979). The order at issue here is not a final order in that sense. It is merely an interlocutory order enforcing an earlier contempt sanction. Consequently, we find that section 1291 does not confer jurisdiction. Similarly, we fail to see how the order would come within the class of appealable interlocutory orders provided for in 28 U.S.C. § 1292. The order does not involve injunctive relief, the management of a receivership, or any other ground for appeal listed in section 1292(a), nor did appellants move for certification under section 1292(b). Therefore, we conclude that section 1292 does not confer jurisdiction. Consequently, unless the order falls within a statutory or judicially-created exception to the finality doctrine, appellate review at this time is premature. Iowa Beef Processors, 601 F.2d at 952. We find no alternative bases for jurisdiction. Although the collateral order doctrine, as set forth in Cohen v. Beneficial Indus. Loan Corp., 337 U.S. 541, 546-47 (1949), offers an exception to the final order requirement, the collateral order doctrine is not applicable here. The doctrine allows appeal from an otherwise nonappealable order if the issue appealed falls within a limited class of issues which, although not final, should be treated as final to end the litigation. Id. To qualify as a collateral -3- order, an order must: (1) conclusively determine the disputed question; (2) resolve an important issue separable from the merits; and (3) be effectively unreviewable on appeal from a final judgment. Farmland Indus. v. Frazier-Parrott Commodities, 806 F.2d 848, 850 (8th Cir. 1986); In re National Mortgage Equity Corp., 821 F.2d 1422, 1424-25 (9th Cir. 1987). The order in this case does not meet any of these requirements and, therefore, does not merit review as a collateral order. The order also fails to fit within the narrow exception to the final order doctrine carved out by Perlman v. United States, 247 U.S. 7 (1918). Under the Perlman rationale, an immediate appeal from an otherwise nonappealable order is proper if it is unlikely that the third party affected by the order will risk a contempt citation simply to create a final order for the person asserting a privilege. In re National Mortgage Equity Corp., 821 F.2d at 1424. This case, however, does not involve the assertion of a privilege by a third party. Instead, the persons to whom the subpoenas were directed challenge the constitutionality of those subpoenas. Consequently, we conclude that the order here at issue is not an appealable order. Keeping in mind the overriding policy against piecemeal appeals, we dismiss this appeal for lack of jurisdiction. However, even if we do have jurisdiction to consider whether the district court exceeded its jurisdiction, for example, under the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651, appellants will suffer no harm as a result of this dismissal as they cannot prevail on the merits of that question.