Category: Arkansas Court of Appeals

Hallelujah! (In other words, the Arkansas Supreme Court is abolishing the abstract and addendum requirement.)

Arkansas Justice Building--Home of the Arkansas Supreme Court and Arkansas Court of Appeals
~ Andy Taylor

As we noted in our original post (below), the Arkansas Supreme Court has proposed a set of rule changes that abolish the abstracting and addendum requirement.  In the original post, we promised to provide updates and more details, so we’re doing that now. Before delving into those details, please note that these are proposed revisions, so they are subject to change.  However, if you can get your record in electronic format, you may participate in a pilot project using these rules.  So, with that said, here are the major changes (and, of course, review the per curiam before filing your brief; this is just a general overview):

The Biggest Change: Abolition of the Abstracting and Addendum Requirement

This, of course, is the biggest change.  Attorneys are no longer required to prepare an abstract or an addendum.  Rather, attorneys will refer to the relevant page number in the record.  As mentioned below, the record will now be comprised of two separate portions: a pleading portion and a transcript portion.  If you cite to the pleading portion of the record, use the format (RP 10), and if you cite to the transcript portion, use the format (RT 10).  The court has a computer program that converts those citations to links to the relevant portion of the record.

Preparation and Filing of the Record

As mentioned above, there will now be two portions of the record: pleadings and transcripts.  The record must be in electronic format (PDF), and each portion of the record must be sequentially numbered such that the first page of the PDF is the first page of the record.  This means that whatever the first page of the PDF is (cover page, table of contents, etc.), it must be page 1.Under the proposed rule, attorneys are still responsible for filing the record, but unlike in the past, the record can now be filed electronically.  

Brief Components

In addition to the elimination of the abstract and addendum, the informational statement (the form that included questions about the appeal and the brief) has been eliminated.  The jurisdictional statement has more specific requirements under the proposed rule than under the current rule.  There are also a couple of new sections: a request for relief and a certificate of compliance with Administrative Order No. 19 (relating to confidential information) and with the word-count limitations (discussed in more detail below).  Finally, the “statement of the case” has been replaced with the “statement of the case and facts.”  

Length Limitations

There are two significant changes to the length of the brief.  First, rather than limiting the statement of the case to a certain number of pages and the argument to a certain number of pages, the limitation is a global limitation that can be allocated in whatever way makes the most sense.  Second, the limitation is converted to a word limit, rather than a page limit. The word count includes the jurisdictional statement, the statement of the case and the facts, the argument, and the request for relief. All other portions of the brief are disregarded for purposes of the word count. Here are the limits:

Brief TypeWord Count Limit
Appellant’s Brief8,600
Appellee’s Brief8,600
Reply Brief2,875
Appellee’s/Cross-Appellant’s Brief14,325
Reply/Cross-Appellee’s Brief11,475

 

ORIGINAL POST

As Justice Rhonda Wood described it on Twitter, there was some “HUGE” news from the Arkansas Supreme Court this morning:

Arkansas Supreme Court

We’re still reading the per curiam, and it’s full of changes, 

but here’s a brief synopsis (you can expect a more detailed examination later).

 

First, effective immediately, attorneys may begin requesting electronic records from the circuit clerk, and the circuit clerk is required to provide the record in electronic format.

Second, the Arkansas Supreme Court published for comment revisions to the rules that accommodate these electronic records.  Those rules abolish the requirements of an abstract and addendum.  

Third—and here’s the best part—even though those rules are currently only published for comment (meaning they are not in effect yet), attorneys who choose to file their records electronically are permitted to file under the new rules as part of a pilot project.

As the Supreme Court noted in its per curiam, the abstracting requirement (and, to a lesser extent, the addendum requirement) had outlived their usefulness.  In our opinion, the abstract adds needless time and expense (both in attorney’s fees and printing costs) to the appellate process, it is confusing, and even a well-done abstract can’t effectively capture what occurred at trial.  This is a good move, and we look forward to seeing it fully implemented.  And you can rest assured that we will never order another paper record again!

You’ve Got To Name It To Claim It: Barton v. Arkansas Department of Human Services

~ Andy Taylor

In Barton v. Arkansas Department of Human Services, 2019 Ark. App. 239, the Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed a circuit court’s termination of a mother’s parental rights to her three children. In doing so, the Court of Appeals gave an example of just how specific they expect objections to be at trial.

One of the pieces of evidence used against the mother in Barton was a psychological evaluation that recommended that the mother could not care for the children by herself. In the order terminating parental rights, the circuit court specifically stated that it had relied, at least in part, on the psychological evaluation.

On appeal, the mother argued that the psychological evaluation was inadmissible hearsay. The mother’s attorney had objected at trial, stating: “I will object unless the psychologist testifies,” and “[I]t’s my position that the psychologist needs to be here to testify.” Nevertheless, the Arkansas Court of Appeals refused to address the issue.

In refusing the address the issue, the Court of Appeals held that this objection was “vague.” Specifically, the Court of Appeals held that this objection could have been a hearsay objection, but it also could have been an authentication objection or a right-to-cross-examine objection.

This case shows the importance of being as specific as possible when raising objections. In fact, it is quite possible that this is one of those instances where everyone in the courtroom knew and understood what the objection was about, but it’s just not reflected in the record. Because Arkansas appellate courts are often very strict about objections, we always urge extreme caution when trying to preserve an objection for appeal.

Electronic Filing of Appellate Briefs is now Mandatory in Arkansas Appellate Courts

~ Andy Taylor

The Arkansas Supreme Court has recently issued a per curiam opinion making electronic filing of appellate briefs mandatory as of January 1, 2018.  In its per curiam, the Court made a few changes and clarifications to the pilot project (which had been in place since September 15, 2016).  The Court also slightly modified the method for requesting clerk’s extensions.  We’ve posted the details of these changes (along with a couple of forms) below.  As always, this is just a summary, so please refer to the text of the rules themselves when filing a brief.

Overview of Electronic Filing of Briefs

Here are the key points you need to know if you are filing a brief electronically:

  • Briefs are filed through the eFlex system.
  • The brief must be electronically filed prior to midnight on the due date.
  • The table of contents must contain hyperlinks to the beginning of each major section of the brief.  The “major sections” are:
    • Informational statement and jurisdictional statement;
    • Points on appeal;
    • Table of authorities;
    • Abstract;
    • Statement of the Case;
    • Argument; and
    • Addendum.
  • After the brief is accepted by the court, you must file six paper copies of the brief with the clerk’s office.  In our discussions with the clerk’s office, they have indicated that they prefer that attorneys simply print the file-marked copies (rather than printing clean copies and having the clerk’s office file-mark them).
  • The paper copies are due five calendar days after the brief is filed.  Note that this time period begins with the brief is filed, and not when the brief is accepted by the clerk’s office.
  • We are still serving paper copies of the brief on opposing counsel.  We believe that there is some ambiguity about this in the rules.  Rules 4-4(b)-(e) discuss “service upon opposing counsel,” and seem to imply that the service will be in paper format.  Administrative Order 21, on the other hand, states that “[r]egistered users of the electronic filing system consent to electronic service of electronic documents as the only means deemed to constitute service and such notice of filing is valid and effective service of the document on the registered users and shall have the same legal effect as service by conventional means.”  Until there is some clarity on this, we are continuing to serve opposing counsel in paper format.  We have included a sample of our certificate of service below.

Continue reading “Electronic Filing of Appellate Briefs is now Mandatory in Arkansas Appellate Courts” →

The Arkansas Court of Appeals Holds that Sanctions and Contempt Are Not the Same

~ Andy Taylor

The Arkansas Rules of Appellate Procedure–Civil provide that “[a]n appeal may be taken from a circuit court to the Arkansas Supreme Court from . . . [a] civil or criminal contempt order, which imposes a sanction and constitutes the final disposition of the contempt matter.” Ark. R. App. P.–Civ. 2(a)(13).  But what about an order that imposes sanctions, but doesn’t hold anyone in civil or criminal contempt?

In Hancook Tire Co., LTD v. Philpot, 2016 Ark. App. 386, the parties were involved in an ongoing discovery dispute.  Eventually, the plaintiff (Philpot) filed a “Motion for Sanctions for Spoliation and Concealment of Evidence.”  A hearing was held on the motion, and the trial court eventually issued a letter opinion in which it stated that, because of “the multiple hearings that have been necessitated because of the Defendants obtuse and unnecessary abuse of the discovery process,” the trial court would impose Rule 37 sanctions (in the form of attorney’s fees) “to deter any future similar conduct.”

The trial court then entered an order awarding a total of $43,025 in attorney’s fees because Hankook’s “conduct in obstructing discovery has been egregious . . . . [and] to deter further such obstruction of discovery in this matter.”  In the order, the trial court stated that “[t]his Order is a final Order for purposes of appeal.” A purported Rule 54(b) certificate appeared at the end of the order.  (The Rule 54(b) certificate was rejected by the Court of Appeals in this case because it merely tracked the language of the rule, rather than making specific factual findings; we have previously blogged on this topic, and so therefore will not go into detail on that issue in this blog post.)

The question in the Hancock case is whether an order that imposes sanctions rises to the level of an order of contempt that would make that order a final order for purposes of appeal.  In Hancook, the Court of Appeals held that such an order was not an appealable order.  Specifically, the Court of Appeals held as follows:

Hankook’s notice of appeal cited to the contempt-with-sanctions provision as the basis to invoke appellate jurisdiction, but the trial court here did not hold Hankook “in contempt,” although it could have so determined as an appropriate sanction under Rule 37(b)(2)(D).  Rather, the trial court here entered an order for attorney fees for discovery obstruction.  This is not a final, appealable order.

This distinction is a fine line, so counsel must be careful when making the decision whether or not to file a notice of appeal from an order imposing sanctions.  It would appear that had the order simply added a few words (stating that one of the parties or counsel was being held “in contempt”), this order would have been considered a final, and, therefore, appealable order.  This is yet another reason that it is vital for counsel to closely and carefully read every order before deciding whether or not to file a notice of appeal from that order.

A cautionary note is in order, however.  As we have mentioned before, in light of the opinion in Massinelli v. Massinelli, 2016 Ark. App. 90 (and the cases upon which it relied), counsel should always be cautious about deciding not to file a notice of appeal from an order that is arguably final, even if it appears to be nonfinal.

Child Visitation Order Not Final Where Contempt and Child Support Issues Were Left Undecided

~ Andy Taylor

If you’ve followed this blog for very long, one of the topics that arises quite frequently is the issue of whether or not an order is a final, appealable order.  This question often arises in family law cases, because there are so many moving parts in those cases.  The decision of the Arkansas Court of Appeals in John v. Bolinder, 2016 Ark. App. 357, provides an example of such a case.

In John, an unmarried couple had one child together in 2010.  In 2012, the trial court awarded primary custody to mom, with dad to have visitation (one week per month plus extended summer visitation) and also to pay child support.  In 2014, the trial court modified the order to decrease dad’s nonsummer visitation to one weekend per month.

In late 2014, dad filed a motion for release of mom’s medical and psychological records.  A few months later, dad filed a motion to modify child support, confirm the length of summer visitation, or modify the summer visitation.  Dad also requested that his summer visitation be expanded, and that child support be reduced during the summer visitation.

At some point during this timeline, mom filed a motion for contempt against dad.  A hearing was held on these matter in May of 2015, at which hearing the parties mentioned that this contempt motion was unresolved.

In June 2015, the trial court entered an order denying dad’s motion seeking the medical/psychological records and denying the motion to modify summer visitation (although the trial court did slightly modify the summer visitation schedule).  The order did not address mom’s contempt motion, and it specifically reserved the issue of child support.

The question, then, is whether an order deciding visitation is final in a situation where a contempt motion and a motion to modify child support are outstanding.  Dad argued that these issues (contempt and child support) were merely collateral matters not affecting the finality of the order.  The Court of Appeals rejected this argument, relying on two cases: Burton v. Templeman, 2015 Ark. App. 101 (holding that an order denying a motion to modify visitation was not final where it specifically reserved a ruling on a motion for contempt) and Mitchell v. Mitchell,  98 Ark. App. 47, 249 S.W.3d 847 (2007) (holding that an order on “various post-divorce disputes” was not final where it specifically reserved a ruling on child support).

In light of this decision, there are two things to keep in mind when deciding whether to file a notice of appeal from a decision involving child custody and visitation.  First, keep in mind that had the facts been slightly different, this order likely would have been a final order pursuant to Rule 2(d) of the Arkansas Rules of Appellate Procedure-Civil, which provides that “[a]ll final orders awarding custody are final appealable orders.”  Second, in light of the opinion in Massinelli v. Massinelli, 2016 Ark. App. 90 (and the cases upon which it relied), counsel should always be cautious about deciding not to file a notice of appeal from an order that is arguably final, even if it appears to be nonfinal.  The best option in this situation would probably be to try to obtain a Rule 54(b) certification to any order that leaves unfinished business.

2016 Judicial Election Results for Arkansas Supreme Court and Arkansas Court of Appeals

~ Tasha C. Taylor

The 2016 nonpartisan judicial elections held in Arkansas on March 1st have resulted in two new Arkansas Supreme Court Justices, one new Judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and one runoff election for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.  The following are results with nearly all precincts reporting:

Arkansas Supreme Court

Chief Justice Position 1

Association Justice Position 5

Arkansas Court of Appeals

Associate Judge District 2, Position 2

Associate Judge District 5

The runoff election between James McMenis and Mark Klappenbach for the Associate Judge District 5 position on the Arkansas Court of Appeals will take place during the general election on November 8, 2016.

There were also two uncontested races in the Arkansas Court of Appeals: Judge Rita W. Gruber will remain the Associate Justice for District 6, Position 1; and Judge Waymond Brown will keep his seat as District 7 Associate Judge.

Related Post: 2016 Arkansas Supreme Court & Arkansas Court of Appeals Election Roundup

2016 Arkansas Supreme Court & Arkansas Court of Appeals Election Roundup

~ Tasha C. Taylor ~ 1 Comment

The party primary and judicial general election will be held in Arkansas this year on March 1, 2016.  The judicial general election includes four contested races for seats on Arkansas’s appellate courts (two in each court).  The races for the open seats on the Arkansas Supreme Court will be elected in a statewide election.  The seats open on the Arkansas Court of Appeals will be elected only by voters in each seat’s district.

Arkansas Supreme Court

In the Arkansas Supreme Court, the contest for the position of Chief Justice (Position 1) resulted from former Chief Justice Hannah’s announcement earlier this year that he would retire early.  Position 5 is open because Justice Danielson decided not to seek re-election for that position.

The candidates for the two contested races on the Arkansas Supreme Court are as listed below along with a link to each candidate’s campaign site.

Chief Justice Position 1

Association Justice Position 5

Arkansas Court of Appeals

In the Court of Appeals, there are two races that are uncontested: Judge Rita W. Gruber will remain the Associate Justice for District 6, Position 1; and Judge Waymond Brown will keep his seat as District 7 Associate Judge.

The two contested races in the Court of Appeals are for District 2, Position 2 (currently occupied by Judge Cliff Hoofman, who was appointed to replace Justice Rhonda Wood when she was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court) and District 5 (currently occupied by Mike Kinard, who was appointed to replace Justice Robin Wynne after Wynne was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court).

The candidates for the two contested positions on the Arkansas Court of Appeals are listed below each position in the list that follows (along with a link to each candidate’s campaign site).

Associate Judge District 2, Position 2

Associate Judge District 5

Faulkner County Circuit Court Judge Mike Murphy Announces Candidacy for Arkansas Court of Appeals

~ Tasha C. Taylor

Judge Mike Murphy
Judge Mike Murphy

Faulkner County Circuit Court Judge Mike Murphy announced this morning his plan to run for District 2, Position 2 of the Arkansas Court of Appeals on the March 1, 2016 election.  Judge Murphy was elected to serve as the 1st Division of the Faulkner County Circuit Court in May of 2014.  Prior to taking office for his elected position in January of 2015, Judge Murphy was appointed by Governor Mike Beebe to fill the vacancy left in the 2nd Division of the Faulkner County Circuit Court when the Arkansas Supreme Court removed Judge Mike Maggio from the bench last year.  After completing Maggio’s term through December 31, 2014, Judge Murphy took office in his elected (and current) position as 1st Division Circuit Court Judge in Faulkner County.  His term in that position expires on December 31, 2020.

The Court of Appeals position that Judge Murphy is seeking is currently occupied by Governor Beebe appointee Cliff Hoofman.  Judge Hoofman was appointed to that seat when Rhonda Wood was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court and may not seek re-election to that position.

The press release issued this morning by Judge Mike Murphy follows:

(Conway, Arkansas) — Circuit Judge Mike Murphy of Conway has announced his candidacy for the Arkansas Court of Appeals, District 2, Position 2 in the March 1, 2016 nonpartisan judicial elections.

Murphy currently serves as the 1st Division circuit judge for the 20th Judicial District (Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren counties).

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our citizens as one of their trial judges.  It is an honor to seek this position on the appellate court bench.  If elected, I pledge to work hard and uphold our laws with fairness, honesty and integrity.”

A Faulkner County native, Murphy opened a private law practice in 1988 and worked as a deputy prosecutor.  Elected as Conway’s city attorney in 1990, he served for over 22 years before being elected circuit judge.  Murphy attended UCA and the University of Arkansas, receiving his law degree from the School of Law in Fayetteville in 1986.  He also served as law clerk for the United States Magistrate Judge in Springfield, Missouri.

Murphy was an adjunct instructor at UCA; member of the Arkansas Bar Association House of Delegates; a past-president of the Arkansas City Attorneys Association and former member of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council.  He is a member of the Arkansas Judicial Council, the Arkansas and Faulkner County Bar Associations and serves on the boards of the Conway Public Schools Foundation and the Faulkner County Museum Commission.

Murphy is the father of three teenagers and member of Conway’s First United Methodist Church.

District 2 of the Court of Appeals is comprised of 18 counties, including Baxter, Boone, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Marion, Newton, Pope, Randolph, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Van Buren.