LACOST VS. LACOST (FAMILY)

Key holdings

Practitioner summary

The court applied the settled rule that appellate jurisdiction in Nevada is limited to appeals "authorized by statute or court rule," quoting Brown v. MHC Stagecoach, LLC, 129 Nev. 343, 345, 301 P.3d 850, 851 (2013). Finding no statute or court rule that permits an appeal from a district court order releasing an appeal bond, the court held it lacked jurisdiction and dismissed the appeal. The order does not address the merits of the bond-release order or any underlying family-law issues.

In plain language

This is a short jurisdictional dismissal. The appellant tried to appeal a district court order that released an appeal bond - a sum of money posted to secure a prior appeal. The Nevada Supreme Court did not reach the merits of the dispute. Instead, the court explained that it can hear an appeal only when a statute or court rule specifically allows that type of appeal. Because no Nevada statute or court rule authorizes an appeal from an order releasing an appeal bond, the court concluded it had no power to consider the case and dismissed it. The dismissal is about the court's authority to hear the appeal, not about who was right or wrong on the underlying issue.