Rule 3. Appeal as of right: how taken.

(a) Filing appeal from final orders and judgments. An appeal may be taken from a district or juvenile court to the appellate court with jurisdiction over the appeal from all final orders and judgments, except as otherwise provided by law, by filing a notice of appeal with the clerk of the trial court within the time allowed by Rule 4. Failure of an appellant to take any step other than the timely filing of a notice of appeal does not affect the validity of the appeal, but is ground only for such action as the appellate court deems appropriate, which may include dismissal of the appeal or other sanctions short of dismissal, as well as the award of attorney fees.

(b) Joint or consolidated appeals. If two or more parties are entitled to appeal from a judgment or order and their interests are such as to make joinder practicable, they may file a joint notice of appeal or may join in an appeal of another party after filing separate timely notices of appeal. Joint appeals may proceed as a single appeal with a single appellant. Individual appeals may be consolidated by order of the appellate court upon its own motion or upon motion of a party, or by stipulation of the parties to the separate appeals.

(c) Designation of parties. The party taking the appeal shall be known as the appellant and the adverse party as the appellee. The title of the action or proceeding shall not be changed in consequence of the appeal, except where otherwise directed by the appellate court. In original proceedings in the appellate court, the party making the original application shall be known as the petitioner and any other party as the respondent.

(d) Content of notice of appeal. The notice of appeal shall specify the party or parties taking the appeal; shall designate the judgment or order, or part thereof, appealed from; shall designate the court from which the appeal is taken; and shall designate the court to which the appeal is taken.

(e) Service of notice of appeal. The party taking the appeal shall give notice of the filing of a notice of appeal by serving personally or mailing a copy thereof to counsel of record of each party to the judgment or order; or, if the party is not represented by counsel, then on the party at the party's last known address. A certificate evidencing such service shall be filed with the notice of appeal. If counsel of record is served, the certificate of service shall designate the name of the party represented by that counsel.

(f) Filing fee in civil appeals. At the time of filing any notice of separate, joint, or cross appeal in a civil case, the party taking the appeal shall pay to the clerk of the trial court the filing fee established by law. The clerk of the trial court shall not accept a notice of appeal regardless of whether the filing fee has been paid. Failure to pay the filing fee within a reasonable time may result in dismissal.

(g) Docketing of appeal. Upon the filing of the notice of appeal, the clerk of the trial court shall immediately transmit a certified copy of the notice of appeal, showing the date of its filing, and a statement by the clerk indicating whether the filing fee was paid and whether the cost bond required by Rule 6 was filed. Upon receipt of the copy of the notice of appeal, the clerk of the appellate court shall enter the appeal upon the docket. An appeal shall be docketed under the title given to the action in the trial court, with the appellant identified as such, but if the title does not contain the name of the appellant, such name shall be added to the title.

Advisory Committee Notes

The designation of parties is changed to conform to the designation of parties in the federal appellate courts.

The rule is amended to make clear that the mere designation of an appeal as a "cross-appeal" does not eliminate liability for payment of the filing and docketing fees. But for the order of filing, the cross-appellant would have been the appellant and so should be required to pay the established fees.