Court Opinion

ID: 9736690
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 19:02:46.579769+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:08.093242
License: Public Domain

SAUFLEY, J.,
with whom Dana J., joins, concurring.
[¶ 18] I concur in the judgment of the Court, but disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the failure to recite the correct court to which the appeal is taken renders a notice of appeal a nulhty. Thus, I write separately.
[¶ 19] After considerable procedural confusion, and after remand from the Superi- or Court, the District Court directed entry on the docket that judgment was “final” on April 9,1998. Therefore, regardless of the nature of the previous actions of the court, the appeal period again began to run from the date of that entry of judgment, and Green Tree was obliged to file its appeal within thirty days of the entry of final judgment in order to comply with M.R. Civ. P. 73(a). Because it failed to do so, Green Tree’s appeal must be dismissed. Thus, I agree with the Court’s result.
[¶ 20] The Court, however, has addressed itself to the notice of appeal filed December 17, 1997, appealing the December 5,1997, judgment, and has determined that the December appeal was ineffective because it incorrectly identified the Superior Court as the court of appeal. I would conclude that the filing of a notice of appeal, even when the notice references the wrong forum to which the appeal will, be taken, is sufficient to meet the requirements of Rule 73(b).9 See M.R. Civ. P. 73(b). Rule 73 is quite specific in its requirements, and nothing in those require*378ments includes the necessity of specifying the court of appeal. The rule requires that the appealing party “shall specify the parties taking the appeal and shall designate the judgment or part thereof appealed from.” Id. We have never required that the court of appeal be expressly designated, nor is designation required by any rule or law that is applicable here. Thus, a party who omits the designation of the court of appeal violates no rule or law. Similarly, an incorrect designation does not constitute a failure to comply with any rale or law. Nonetheless, the Court has concluded that a notice of appeal that does not contain a designation of the appellate court is sufficient, but a notice of appeal identifying the wrong court is a nullity.
[¶ 21] I do not disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the rules governing the taking of appeals are designed to allow judgments to become final and to allow enforcement within “a brief, fixed time period.” See Town of S. Berwick Planning Bd. v. Maineland, Inc., 409 A.2d 688, 690 (Me.1980). Nor do I dispute the need for clarity and finality in the process. I would conclude, however, that when a party files a notice of appeal in the correct court of judgment, and the notice contains the information required by the rule, that party has put all other parties and the court on notice that an appeal will be pursued. The error in designation of the appellate court does not negate the notice that the party intends to pursue the appeal. Moreover, the error can be corrected with little delay by the clerk’s office or by the receiving court.10
[¶ 22] It bears repeating that the rules are intended “to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” M.R. Civ. P. 1. The Rules of Civil Procedure should be firmly and consistently applied in pursuit of orderly, predictable litigation. They should not, however, include traps for the unwary by which justice can be summarily truncated. Unless and until the rules or law are amended, after consideration of all of the interests involved, I would hold that an appellant’s failure to designate the correct appellate court does not deprive the appellant of the right to have its appeal heard on the merits.

.Rule 76D, relating to appeals from the District to the Superior Court similarly contains no requirement that the court of appeal be designated. "The appeal shall be taken by filing a notice of appeal with the clerk of the District Court.” M.R. Civ. P. 76D.

. Recent changes in certain areas of law have resulted in changes in the designated court of appeal for specific types of judgments. See, e.g., 22 M.R.S.A. § 4006 (Supp.1999) (governing appeals in child protective proceedings). Particularly in areas of family law, these changes may continue. See Draft Report of the Court Unification Task Force 17-22 (Sept.1999) (discussing Recommendation II, which suggests the substantial elimination of appeals to the Superior Court in favor of direct review by the Law Court). The confusion resulting from such changes will inevitably lead to errors in the designation of the correct court of appeal.