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ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013

2110899, 2110900, and 2110901

A.J. v. Cullman County Department o f Human Resources

2110902, 2110903, and 2110904

T.J. v. Cullman County Department o f Human Resources Appeals from Cullman J u v e n i l e Court (JU-06-556.03; JU-10-376.02; and JU-11-206.02)

2110899; 2110900; 2110901; 2110902; 2110903; and MOORE, J u d g e . A.J. ("the m o t h e r " ) and T.J. ("the

2110904

father") appeal

from ("the

s e p a r a t e j u d g m e n t s e n t e r e d by t h e C u l l m a n J u v e n i l e C o u r t juvenile court") on May 9, 2012,

terminating their parental was b o r n on S e p t e m b e r 28, 27, 2009; and E.R.J., to

r i g h t s t o t h e i r c h i l d r e n V . N . J . , who 2005; T . A . J . , who who was born on was born 4,

on O c t o b e r 2011

April

(hereinafter We d i s m i s s the

referred appeals.

c o l l e c t i v e l y as " t h e c h i l d r e n " ) .

Background On October 12, 2011, the Cullman County Department of

Human R e s o u r c e s

p e t i t i o n e d the j u v e n i l e c o u r t t o t e r m i n a t e the children. and 9, the

p a r e n t a l r i g h t s o f t h e m o t h e r and t h e f a t h e r t o t h e A f t e r c o n d u c t i n g ore tenus proceedings May 1, 2012,

on A p r i l 18, 2012, j u d g m e n t s on May

the j u v e n i l e c o u r t e n t e r e d

2012,

t e r m i n a t i n g the p a r e n t a l r i g h t s On May

o f t h e m o t h e r and

f a t h e r to the c h i l d r e n .

16, 2012,

t h e f a t h e r moved t h e on May

j u v e n i l e c o u r t t o g r a n t him 18, 2012, her and

i n forma p a u p e r i s s t a t u s ; t h a t the In juvenile

the mother a l s o r e q u e s t e d i n forma p a u p e r i s status.

court the

grant father The

those

motions, to

the mother i n d i c a t e d

that they wished

appeal. The

j u v e n i l e c o u r t g r a n t e d t h o s e m o t i o n s on May

31, 2012.

2

2110899; 2110900; 2110901; 2110902; 2110903; and m o t h e r f i l e d h e r n o t i c e o f a p p e a l on June 6, filed h i s n o t i c e o f a p p e a l on June 7, Analysis 2012. 2012;

2110904 the father

" I t i s w e l l s e t t l e d that j u r i s d i c t i o n a l matters are o f s u c h s i g n i f i c a n c e t h a t an a p p e l l a t e c o u r t may t a k e n o t i c e o f them ex mero motu. W a l l a c e v. Tee J a y s M f g . Co., 689 So. 2d 210, 211 ( A l a . C i v . App. 1 9 9 7 ) ; Nunn v. B a k e r , 518 So. 2d 711, 712 ( A l a . 1 9 8 7 ) . 'The t i m e l y f i l i n g o f [ a ] n o t i c e o f a p p e a l i s a jurisdictional act.' Rudd v. Rudd, 467 So. 2d 964, 965 ( A l a . C i v . App. 1 9 8 5 ) ; see a l s o P a r k e r v. P a r k e r , 946 So. 2d 480, 485 ( A l a . C i v . App. 2006) ('an u n t i m e l y f i l e d n o t i c e o f a p p e a l r e s u l t s i n a l a c k of a p p e l l a t e j u r i s d i c t i o n , which cannot be waived')." Kennedy v. 2007). The m o t h e r and t h e f a t h e r h a d May Juv. 1279 9, 2012, and 14 d a y s f r o m t h e e n t r y judgments t o a p p e a l . H.J.T. v. State ("A of See Merriman, 963 So. 2d 86, 87-88 (Ala. Civ. App.

the j u v e n i l e court's Rule 2 8(C), A l a . R.

P.;

ex r e l . notice

M.S.M., 34 So. 3d 1276,

( A l a . C i v . App.

2009)

o f a p p e a l i n a j u v e n i l e a c t i o n must be f i l e d w i t h i n 14 d a y s o f the date of e n t r y filed] o f the judgment o r the d e n i a l o f a motion."). the father filed a postjudgment which, only [timely

postjudgment

Neither

the mother nor

m o t i o n p u r s u a n t t o R u l e 52 o r R u l e 59, A l a . R. C i v . P., under the p r o c e d u r a l posture of these
3

c a s e s , were t h e

2110899; 2110900; 2110901; 2110902; 2110903; and motions that would have tolled the time

2110904 their e.g.,

for filing See,

n o t i c e s o f a p p e a l f r o m t h e May R u l e 4 ( a ) ( 3 ) , A l a . R. App. P.

9, 2012, ("The

judgments. of a

filing

post-judgment

m o t i o n p u r s u a n t t o R u l e s 50, 52, 55 o r 59 o f t h e A l a b a m a R u l e s of C i v i l for Procedure ... of s h a l l suspend appeal."). a postjudgment the running of the A motion motion to proceed that tolls time in the

filing

a notice

forma

pauperis

i s not

time f o r f i l i n g The and the

a n o t i c e of appeal. her n o t i c e his notice o f a p p e a l on o f a p p e a l on June 6, 2012, 2012. after

mother f i l e d father filed

June 7,

Because n e i t h e r the mother nor the f a t h e r a p p e a l e d u n t i l t h e 14-day p e r i o d h a d e x p i r e d , to consider ("An their appeals. t h i s c o u r t has no

jurisdiction P. not

See R u l e 2 ( a ) ( 1 ) , A l a . R. App. i f t h e n o t i c e o f a p p e a l was jurisdiction dismiss the of the

a p p e a l s h a l l be d i s m i s s e d filed to We, appeals. invoke the

timely

appellate and the

court."). father's

therefore,

mother's

APPEALS DISMISSED. Thompson, P . J . , and P i t t m a n and B r y a n , J J . , c o n c u r . Thomas, J . , r e c u s e s herself.

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