809.10 Rule (Initiating the appeal).
(1) Notice of appeal.
(a) Filing. A person shall initiate an appeal by filing a notice of appeal with the clerk of the circuit court in which the judgment or order appealed from was entered.
(b) Content. The notice of appeal shall include all of the following:
1. The case name and number.
2. An identification of the judgment or order from which the person filing the notice intends to appeal and the date on which it was entered.
3. A statement of whether the appeal arises in one of the types of cases specified in s. 752.31 (2).
4. A statement of whether the appeal is to be given preference in the circuit court or court of appeals pursuant to statute.
5. If the appeal is under s. 809.30 or 809.32, a statement of the date of service of the last transcript or copy of the circuit court case record if no postconviction motion is filed, the date of the order deciding postconviction motions, or the date of any other notice-of-appeal deadline that was established by the court of appeals.
6. If counsel is appointed under ch. 977, a copy of the order appointing counsel.
(c) Copies of the notice. At the same time that the person files the notice of appeal, the person shall send a copy of the notice of appeal to the clerk of the court of appeals.
(d) Docketing statement. The person shall send the court of appeals an original and one copy of a completed docketing statement on a form prescribed by the court of appeals. The docketing statement shall accompany the court of appeals' copy of the notice of appeal. The person shall send a copy of the completed docketing statement to the other parties to the appeal. Docketing statements need not be filed in appeals brought under s. 809.105, 809.107, 809.32, or 974.06 (7), in cases under ch. 980, or in cases in which a party represents himself or herself. Docketing statements need not be filed in appeals brought under s. 809.30 or 974.05, or by the state or defendant in permissive appeals in criminal cases pursuant to s. 809.50, except that docketing statements shall be filed in cases arising under chs. 48, 51, 55, or 938.
(e) Time for filing. The notice of appeal must be filed within the time specified by law. The filing of a timely notice of appeal is necessary to give the court jurisdiction over the appeal.
(f) Error in content not jurisdictional defect. An inconsequential error in the content of the notice of appeal is not a jurisdictional defect.
(2) Multiple appeals.
(a) Joint and co-appeals. If 2 or more persons are each entitled to appeal from the same judgment or order entered in the same action or proceeding in the trial court and their interests are such as to make joinder practicable, they may file a joint notice of appeal or may, after filing separate notices of appeal, proceed as a single appellant. If the persons do not file a joint appeal or elect to proceed as a single appellant, or if their interests are such as to make joinder impracticable, they shall proceed as appellant and co-appellant, with each co-appellant to have the same procedural rights and obligations as the appellant.
(b) Cross-appeal. A respondent who seeks a modification of the judgment or order appealed from or of another judgment or order entered in the same action or proceeding shall file a notice of cross-appeal within the period established by law for the filing of a notice of appeal, or 30 days after the filing of a notice of appeal, whichever is later. A cross-appellant has the same rights and obligations as an appellant under this chapter.
(3) Consolidated appeals in separate cases. The court may consolidate separate appeals in separate actions or proceedings in the trial court upon its own motion, motion of a party, or stipulation of the parties.
(4) Matters reviewable. An appeal from a final judgment or final order brings before the court all prior nonfinal judgments, orders and rulings adverse to the appellant and favorable to the respondent made in the action or proceeding not previously appealed and ruled upon.
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 83 Wis. 2d xiii (1978); Sup. Ct. Order, 104 Wis. 2d xi (1981); 1981 c. 390 s. 252; Sup. Ct. Order, 123 Wis. 2d xix (1985); Sup. Ct. Order, 131 Wis. 2d xv (1986); 1987 a. 403; Sup. Ct. Order, 161 Wis. 2d xiii (1991); Sup. Ct. Order No. 93-19, 179 Wis. 2d xxiii; Sup. Ct. Order No. 00-02, 2001 WI 39, 242 Wis. 2d xxvii; Sup. Ct. Order No. 02-01, 2002 WI 120, 255 Wis. 2d xiii; 2005 a. 434.
Cross-reference: See also s. 767.217 (2) for appeals involving child support and maintenance.
Court of Appeals Note, 1986: Sub. (1) (a) is amended to require appellants to file a docketing statement in the court of appeals on a form prescribed by the court at the time the notice of appeal is filed in the trial court. The docketing statement will provide the court with information for its expedited appeals program pursuant to s. 809.17 and the rules and procedures set forth in Section VII, Expedited Appeals, of the Court of Appeals Internal Operating Procedures (amended March 1, 1986). Docketing statement forms are available in the offices of clerks of the circuit courts. [Re Order effective January 1, 1987]
Judicial Council Committee's Note, 1978: Sub. (1) (a) establishes the same procedure for initiating a review by the Court of Appeals whether it be the statutory appeal or constitutional writ of error. Both are begun by filing a notice of appeal in the trial court. The prior procedure under which a person could obtain a writ of error from the Supreme Court and then file it in the trial court at his leisure is eliminated. It is important to recognize that the right to seek review by writ of error as established by the Constitution is not abolished, but the procedure for seeking that review is made uniform with that for filing an appeal.
Judicial Council Committee's Note, 1981: To facilitate the efficient administration of appeals by the court of appeals, sub. (1) (a) is amended to require that the notice of appeal state whether the appeal is in one of the types of cases specified in s. 752.31 (2). [Re Order effective Jan. 1, 1982]
Judicial Council Note, 2001: Former sub. (1) (a) has been repealed and recreated as subs. (1) (a) to (d). Subsection 1 (d) clarifies when a docketing statement must be filed. Former sub. (1) (b) has been repealed and recreated as sub. (1) (e). Subsection (1) (f) codifies existing law. See Northridge Bank v. Community Eye Care Ctr., 94 Wis. 2d 201, 203, 287 N.W.2d 810, 811 (1980); Carrington v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 169 Wis. 2d 211, 217 n.2, 485 N.W.2d 267, 269 n.2 (1992). Please see s. 809.32 for special requirements for a Notice of Appeal in a No-Merit Report appeal. [Re Order No. 00-02 effective July 1, 2001]
Judicial Council Note, 2002: See also related changes in ss. 809.40 (3) and 809.50 (3). Prior to 2001 WI 39, effective 7/1/01, s. 809.10 (1) provided that docketing statements were not required in “criminal cases or in cases in which a party appears pro se." State's appeals in criminal cases were inadvertently omitted from the list of statutory references that replaced “criminal cases" in the prior statute. Subsection (1) (d) is amended to clarify that docketing statements are not required in state's appeals in criminal cases. The amendment also clarifies that docketing statements are not required in permissive appeals in criminal cases, but are required in other permissive appeals. [Re Order No. 02-01 effective January 1, 2003]
When an appeal is pending, matters not directly concerned with the appeal but related to the case are still properly within the trial court's jurisdiction. In Matter of Trust Estate of Schaefer, 91 Wis. 2d 360, 283 N.W.2d 410 (Ct. App. 1979).
The filing date stamped on the notice of appeal is not conclusive as to the date of filing. Boston Old Colony Insurance Co. v. International Rectifier Corp. 91 Wis. 2d 813, 284 N.W.2d 93 (1979).
A respondent was allowed to challenge a trial court order denying a motion for summary judgment despite the failure to file a notice of cross-appeal. Auric v. Continental Casualty Co. 111 Wis. 2d 507, 331 N.W.2d 325 (1983).
Service of the notice of appeal on opposing parties is not necessary to confer jurisdiction on the court of appeals. Rhyner v. Sauk County, 118 Wis. 2d 324, 348 N.W.2d 588 (Ct. App. 1984).
Failure to submit the docketing fee within the time specified for filing a notice of appeal does not deprive the court of appeals of jurisdiction. The notice of appeal, not the docketing fee, vests the court with jurisdiction. Douglas v. Dewey, 147 Wis. 2d 328, 433 N.W.2d 243 (1989).
The federal prohibition against stacking cross-appeals is not applicable under sub. (2) (b). The time limits under sub. (1) (b) are jurisdictional and may not be extended. Estate of Donnell v. Milwaukee, 160 Wis. 2d 529, 466 N.W.2d 670 (Ct. App. 1991).
A nonlawyer may not sign and file a notice of appeal on behalf of a corporation. To do so constitutes practicing law without a license in violation of s. 757.30 and voids the appeal. Requiring a lawyer to represent a corporation in filing the notice is constitutional. Jadair Inc. v. United States Fire Insurance Co. 209 Wis. 2d 187, 561 N.W.2d 718 (1997), 95-1946.
Section 799.06 (2) authorizes a non-lawyer employee to represent a party to a small claims action at the appellate, as well as trial court, level and is an exception to the rule stated in Jadair. Holz v. Busy Bees Contracting, Inc. 223 Wis. 2d 598, 589 N.W.2d 633 (Ct. App. 1998), 98-1076.
The failure to sign a notice of appeal can be corrected and does not compel immediate dismissal. State v. Seay, 2002 WI App 37, 250 Wis. 2d 761, 641 N.W.2d 437, 00-3490.
Section 753.016 (1) and (2) provide that in Milwaukee County each branch of the circuit court shall have a deputy clerk provided by the clerk of the circuit court. In Milwaukee County “the clerk of the trial court" under sub. (1) (a) necessarily encompasses the deputy clerk assigned to the specific branch of the circuit court as well as deputy clerks performing duties within the office of the clerk of circuit court. Kelley v. State, 2003 WI App 81, 261 Wis. 2d 803, 661 N.W.2d 854, 02-1495.
Appeal of a judgment, the date of which was specified in the notice of appeal, included an appeal of an order for costs entered after that date. A judgment is perfected by the taxation of costs and the insertion of the amount into the judgment so that the order of costs becomes part of the judgment subject to appeal. DeWitt Ross & Stevens v. Galaxy Gaming and Racing, 2003 WI App 190, 267 Wis. 2d 233, 670 N.W.2d 74, 02-0359.
Affirmed on other grounds. 2004 WI 92, 273 Wis. 2d 577, 682 N.W.2d 839, 02-0359.
In order to confer jurisdiction on the court of appeals, a notice of appeal filed by counsel must contain the handwritten signature of an attorney authorized to practice law in Wisconsin. Counsel cannot delegate the duty to affix a signature on a notice of appeal to a person not authorized to practice law in Wisconsin. When a notice of appeal is not signed by an attorney when an attorney is required, the notice of appeal is fundamentally defective and cannot confer jurisdiction. Brown v. MR Group, LLC 2004 WI App 121, 274 Wis. 2d 804, 683 N.W.2d 804, 03-2309.
The plaintiffs in this case were not “respondents" under sub. (4) because they were not named in the notice of appeal, and thus were not “respondents" adverse to the appellants. The appellants could not name the plaintiffs as respondents in the notice of appeal because the appellants were not aggrieved by any final order entered against the appellants and in favor of the plaintiffs. The appellants could not evade the bar to appealing non-final-orders as of right by the expedient of appealing final orders against those named in the notice of appeal in order to get review of non-final orders and rulings favorable to parties who were still active in the litigation. Dixon v. Hnilicka Company, Inc. 2011 WI App 46, 332 Wis. 2d 357, 798 N.W.2d 264, 09-1953.
Applying well-established principles of law that apply equally to the United States government when it is a party, a decision not to litigate any of the issues involved in the circuit court precludes the United States from pursuing relief in the court of appeals. Nickel v. United States of America, 2012 WI 22, 339 Wis. 2d 48, 810 N.W.2d 450, 11-0987.
Mechanics of making an appeal in the court of appeals. Felsenthal, WBB October 1981.
Appellate review: Choosing and shaping the proper standard. Leavell. WBB Apr. 1987.
Changing standards of review. Leavell. WBB May 1987.