Court Opinion

ID: 9790732
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:58:46.480949+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:31.244470
License: Public Domain

SIMMS, Justice,
concurring specially:
It may appear inconsistent that this Court denied appellee’s motion to dismiss this ap*304peal by order of July 7, 1992, but now dismisses the appeal for want of jurisdiction because the petition in error was not timely filed within thirty days of the filing of the order below. The question of jurisdiction, however, may be raised at any time, either in trial court or on appeal, Woods Petroleum Corp. v. Sledge, 632 P.2d 393 (Okla.1981); Durham v. Sharum, 203 Okla. 426, 222 P.2d 1029 (1950), and this Court has a duty to inquire into its own appellate jurisdiction. Lincoln Bank and Trust v. Oklahoma Tax Comm., 827 P.2d 1314 (Okla.1992), Fields v. A & B Electronics, 788 P.2d 940 (Okla.1990). Title 12 O.S. 1991 § 990A provides that an appeal is commenced with filing the petition in error within thirty (30) days from the date the appealed order is filed with the clerk of the trial court. In Rogers v. Higgins, 871 P.2d 398 (Okla.1993), we held the failure to bring a timely appeal constitutes a jurisdictional defect, and this Court was powerless to entertain a plea for corrective relief.
Because of the dismissal, that portion of the opinion dealing with the actions of the trial court in post-judgment proceedings could be considered dicta. I view this part of the opinion as a correct exposition of Oklahoma law, however, and informative to our trial judges. Therefore, I concur specially in today’s opinion.
I am authorized to state that WILSON, C.J., joins in the views expressed herein.