OREGON JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT Appellate Court Records Section, 503-986-5555 INFORMATION ON FILING A NOTICE OF APPEAL (CIRCUIT COURT CIVIL) In response to your request, we have enclosed information on how to file a notice of appeal and the forms necessary to do so. Keep in mind that a judgment from a small claims department is not appealable. ORS 46.485(4). GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Please understand that filing and pursuing a case with the appellate court is technical legal work. Read all of these instructions, completely and carefully, because you must follow the relevant Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and the Oregon Rules of Appellate Procedure (ORAP). We strongly urge you to consider use of an attorney to help you with your case. The Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or Appellate Court Administrator's Office cannot change the rules for you because you act as your own lawyer. You will have to follow all the rules and meet all deadlines, without exception. NOTE: Under ORS 9.320, at the appellate court level, a corporation must be represented by an attorney who is an active member of the Oregon State Bar. Oregon Peaceworks Green, PAC v. Secretary of State, 311 Or 267 (1991). Provisions of ORS Chapter 19 apply to civil cases. ORAP Chapters 2 and 3 apply to appeals of circuit (trial) court decisions in general. You may wish to access reference materials, including the ORS or ORAP online at courts.oregon.gov. To access the ORS or ORAP, go to courts.oregon.gov/rules and choose "Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS)" under Laws & Statutes, or choose "Appellate Procedure (ORAP)" under Other Rules. The ORS and ORAP are also available in law libraries and some public libraries. If you need additional information about procedures, you may call the Records Section at 503-986-5555; however, while the staff can try to answer procedural questions, staff cannot provide legal advice. In other words, they will not substitute in any way for a lawyer's assistance. If you wish to seek legal advice, you may contact the Oregon State Bar at 503-620-0222 or toll free in Oregon at 1-800-452-8260 for information as to appellate attorneys. You may contact the Lawyer Referral Service at 503-684-3763, or toll free in Oregon at 1-800-452-7636. 2. Generally, you will not be able to introduce new evidence to the appellate court. The court will review the record (testimony, documents, legal argument) that was received into the trial court record. American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com 3. Motions: A "motion" is any request by a party that the court take some action. All motions must be served on the adverse party and the adverse party has 14 days from the date a motion is filed to serve a response. A response allows the court to consider the adverse party's point of view in deciding what action to take concerning the motion. See ORAP 7.05 to 7.30 for rules concerning motions. ORAP 7.30 lists the motions that toll the time for filing the next event. The court will usually issue a decision on a motion in the form of a written order. 4. Any document filed with the Court of Appeals must be served on all parties to the case. See ORAP 1.35(2). The document being filed must include a statement of service ("proof of service") which states that the document has been served on all parties. 5. Although ORS 21.695 allows for parties to motion for the transcript to be paid for at the State's expense, because of the current budget condition, financial resources do not exist for the Court of Appeals to grant such a motion. 6. Also, check ORS Chapter 20 on the subject of costs and attorneys' fees, and ORS Chapter 21 on fees generally. You should know what is contained in those chapters and that the loser on appeal may be responsible for the winner's costs. UNDERTAKING ON APPEAL IN CIVIL CASES (TRIAL COURT CASES ONLY): The appellant (the person who is appealing) is required to file an "undertaking," which is a written promise to pay the costs incurred by the respondent on appeal if the appellant loses the appeal. The promise must be supported by a corporate bond, the promise of another person with unencumbered property worth more than twice the amount of the undertaking, or a cash deposit. The undertaking must be in the amount of $500, unless the trial court sets a different amount. The trial court may waive the undertaking on the ground of indigence or for other reasons. The undertaking must be filed in the trial court and a copy served on the opposing party and on the appellate court. Note that all filings in connection with the undertaking take place in the trial court, not the appellate court. See ORS 19.300 and ORAP 7.40 WHERE TO FILE To file a notice of appeal, you must file an original notice of appeal with the Court of Appeals by submitting it to the following address: ATTN: Records Section Appellate Court Administrator Supreme Court Building 1163 State Street Salem, OR 97301-2563 WHEN TO FILE Generally, notice of appeal from a trial court decision in a civil case must be filed within 30 days from the date the decision was entered in the trial court register. Unless a notice of appeal is filed and served within the time required by statute, the Court of Appeals will not be able to consider your case. "Filed" means that the petition must either 1) be in the possession of the Office of the Appellate Court Administrator on or before the date it is due, or American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com 2) it must be mailed by certified or registered mail on or before the date it is due, with proof from the United States Post Office of such mailing date. See ORS 19.260(1) and ORAP 1.35. (If you choose option 2, be sure to retain the proof of mailing, because you may be asked to send it in if the timeliness of your appeal is ever questioned). "Served" means that an exact copy of the original document(s) that is being filed at the Court of Appeals, is mailed or personally delivered to all other necessary parties and participants according to the applicable statutes. HOW TO FILE 1. File an original notice of appeal with the Court of Appeals. You must attach to the notice of appeal a copy of the decision that you wish to have reviewed. 2. You must pay a $373.00 filing fee. See ORS 21.010. Make checks payable to: "State Court Administrator." Failure to pay the filing fee can eventually result in dismissal of your appeal (ORAP 1.20(4)). However, you may be eligible to receive a waiver (elimination) of the fee, or you may be eligible to d