Court Opinion

ID: 9914608
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-02 17:04:41.298579+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:14:13.608281
License: Public Domain

ORIGINAL                                        01/02/2024

                 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
                                                                                       Case Number: DA 23-0674

                                          DA 23-0674

  JOHN DOBROWSKI,

              Plaintiff and Appellant,

        v.
                                                                       ORDER
  BUFFALO TRAILS ESTATES
  HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.,

              Defendant and Appellee.
                                                                              JAN 0 2 2:24
                                                                           Bowen Greermiood
                                                                              ui Sup:
                                                                            Stale of montana

       Appellant John Dobrowski, representing himself in this appeal, filed his opening
brief on December 29, 2023. This Court reviews briefs to ensure compliance with
                                                                                the
Montana Rules of Appellate Procedure. The Court attempts to give some leeway
                                                                                       to self-
represented litigants, but there are certain requirements of the Rules of Appellate
                                                                                    Proced   ure
that are essential to its ability to consider an appeal. After reviewing the Appel
                                                                                   lant's
opening brief, this Court has determined that the brief does not comply with the
                                                                                 below-
referenced Rules and must be resubmitted with corrections. The Court has publish
                                                                                      ed a
handbook to help litigants prepare their briefs for filing and will provide Mr. Dobro
                                                                                     wski a
copy to assist him in submitting his revised brief.
       Rule 12(1)(b) requires a statement of issues presented for review. The statement
                                                                                              of
issues should identify for this Court what legal errors the Appellant believes the
                                                                                      district
court made.
       Rule 12(1)(d) requires that the statement of facts portion of a brief contain
references to the pages or the parts of the record at which material facts appear
                                                                                 . This Court
may not consider any facts or documents that the District Court did not have
                                                                                    before it.
Appellant's statement of the case and facts does not contain references to the
                                                                                      record.
Therefore, the brief must include references to the record on appeal—for
                                                                                    example,
Complaint, p. 2; Order, p. 3; or Motion for Summary Judgment, p. 2.
        Rule 12(1)(e) requires a statement of the standard of review as to each issue
                                                                                              raised,
 together with a citation to authority. Appellant's brief omits this section. The
                                                                                  Court'             s
 website includes a Standards of Review Handbook that the Appellant may find
                                                                                           helpful:
 https://courts.mt.gov/SORH/
        Rule 12(1)(f) requires a summary of the argument containing a succinct, clear,
                                                                                                   and
 accurate statement of the arguments made in the body of the brief. Appellant's
                                                                                brief
 contains no summary of the argument.
        Rule 12(1)(i) provides that an appellant's opening brief shall contain an
                                                                                         appendix
 that includes the relevant judgment, orders, findings of fact, conclusions
                                                                                      of law, juty
 instructions, rulings, or decisions from which the appeal is taken. Appellant's
                                                                                        brief does
 not contain the October 6, 2023, Order that Appellant presumably appeals.
        Finally, Rule 11(4)(e) requires a signed certificate of compliance that states that
                                                                                                   the
document's line spacing is proportionally spaced; the text is double spaced
                                                                            ; and                  the
calculated word count. Appellant may rely on the word count of the word
                                                                        processing
system used to prepare the brief The word count only needs to include
                                                                      the count of the
actual brief content itself. In other words, it is not necessary to count
                                                                                 the words of the
Cover Page, Table of Contents, Table of Authorities, Certificate of Servic
                                                                                  e, Certificate of
Compliance, and Appendices.
       IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Appellant's Opening Brief is rejecte
                                                                                              d.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the referenced brief and copies
                                                                                    submitted be
returned for revisions necessary to comply with the specified Rules.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within twenty-one (21) days of the
                                                                                      date of this
Order the Appellant shall file with the Clerk of Court a signed original
                                                                           and seven (7) copies
of the revised brief containing the revisions necessary to comply with
                                                                            the specified Rules
and that the Appellant shall serve copies of the revised brief on all parties
                                                                                 of record.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that no changes, additions, or deletions other
                                                                                              than
those specified in this Order may be made to the brief as originally fil
                                                                           ed.
      IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the postage costs for returning the
                                                                                     Appellant's
brief will be billed to Appellant by the Clerk of this Court and shall
                                                                           be due and payable

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upon receipt.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the times for any subsequent briefing contai
                                                                                         ned
in M. R. App. P. 13 shall run from the date of filing of the revised brief.
      The Clerk of this Court is directed to mail a true copy of this Order to the Appel
                                                                                        lant,
along with a copy of the Civil Appellate Handbook, and to all parties of record
                                                                                  .
      DATED this 2nd day of January, 2024.

                                                         For the Court,

                                                         By            117--v6--A—?
                                                                 //76  Justi e

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