Saturday, December 01, 2007

Win for home-based business from disgruntled neighbors zoning appeal on a technicality. Small accounting and tax service business won an extension to operate from the owners home for an additional five years from the Omaha zoning board. Goodman v. City of Omaha, S-06-532, 274 Neb. 539 Neighbors appealed to the Douglas County District Court but the District Court affirmed. Neighbors first filed for a new trial and then filed their notice of appeal. Supreme court dismisses appeal, holding that when the district court functions as an intermediate appellate court, a motion for new trial or similar motion does not toll the 30 day jurisdictional time limit for appealing"Section 14-414 provides that the district court’s authority is limited to the power to reverse, modify, or affirm the decision brought before that court for review. The district court acts as ab appellate court in appeals from zoning appeals boards (Kuhlmann v. City of Omaha, 251 N eb. 176, 556 N .W.2d 15 (1996). Because the district court in this case functioned as an intermediate court of appeals, and not as a trial court, the appellants’ motion for new trial did not stop the running of the time within which to perfect an appeal."

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