Rule 7 - Appeal from Trial Court Decision on the Merits(1)(A)Mandatory appeals. Unless otherwise provided by law or by these rules, a mandatory appeal, other than an appeal in a parental notification case under RSA 132:34, shall be by notice of appeal in the form of notice of appeal approved by the supreme court for the filing of a mandatory appeal ("Notice of Mandatory Appeal" form). Such an appeal shall be filed by the moving party within 30 days from the date on the clerk's written notice of the decision on the merits or, in the case of a sentence imposed in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding, within 30 days of the date the sentence is pronounced.
(B)Other appeals from trial court decisions on the merits. The supreme court may, in its discretion, decline to accept an appeal, other than a mandatory appeal, or any question raised therein, from a trial court after a decision on the merits, or may summarily dispose of such an appeal, or any question raised therein, as provided in Rule 25. Unless otherwise provided by law or by these rules, an appeal from a trial court decision on the merits other than a mandatory appeal shall be by notice of appeal in the form of notice of appeal approved by the supreme court for the filing of such an appeal ("Notice of Discretionary Appeal" form). Such an appeal shall be filed by the moving party within 30 days from the date on the clerk's written notice of the decision on the merits or, in the case of a sentence imposed in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding, within 30 days of the date the sentence is pronounced.
(C) The definition of "decision on the merits" in Rule 3 includes decisions on motions made after an order, verdict, opinion, decree or sentence. A timely filed post-decision motion stays the running of the appeal period for all parties to the case in the trial court including those not filing the motion. If the trial court's decision on a post-decision creates a newly-losing party, and the newly-losing party files a timely motion for reconsideration, such motion will further stay the running of the appeal period for all parties to the case in the trial court including those not filing the motion. Untimely filed post-decision motions will not stay the running of the appeal period unless the trial court waives the untimeliness within the appeal period. In the absence of an express waiver of the untimeliness the trial court within the appeal period, the appeal period is not extended even if the trial court rules on the merits of an untimely filed post-decision motion. Successive post-decision motions filed by a party that is not a newly-losing party will not stay the running of the appeal period. See Petition of Ellis, 138 N.H. 159 (1993). In criminal appeals, the time for filing a notice of appeal shall be within 30 days from the date of sentencing or the date of the clerk's written notice of disposition of post-decision motions, whichever is later, provided, however, that the date of the clerk's written notice of disposition of post-decision motion shall not be used to calculate the time for filing a notice of appeal in criminal cases if the post-decision motion was filed more than 10 days after sentencing.
(2) An appeal shall be deemed filed when the notice of appeal in proper form, together with the filing fee, is received by the clerk of this court within 30 days from the date on the clerk's written notice of the decision or, in the case of a sentence imposed in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding, within 30 days of the date the sentence is pronounced.(3) An appeal permitted by law on a different form and by a different procedure shall be deemed timely filed when it is received by the clerk of this court on the form and by the procedure prescribed by law.(4) All parties to the proceedings in the court from whose decision on the merits the appeal is being taken shall be deemed parties in this court, unless the moving party shall notify the clerk of this court in writing of the moving party's belief that one or more of the parties below has no interest in the outcome of the transfer. The moving party shall deliver to each party in the proceeding below a copy of that written notice. A party thus designated as no longer interested may remain a party in this court by notifying the clerk of this court in writing, with a copy delivered to the other parties, that the designated party has an interest in the transfer. Parties supporting the position of the moving party shall meet the time schedule provided for that party.(5) If a timely notice of appeal is filed by a party, any other party may file a notice of cross-appeal within 10 days from the date on which the first notice of appeal was filed and shall pay a filing fee therewith.(6)(A) The appealing party in a mandatory appeal shall attach or append to the notice of appeal the decision below, the clerk's written notice of the decision below, any order disposing of a timely-filed post-trial motion, and the clerk's written notice of any order disposing of a timely-filed post-trial motion.(B) The appealing party in an appeal other than a mandatory appeal shall attach or append to the notice of appeal the decision below, the clerk's written notice of the decision below, any order disposing of a timely-filed post-trial motion, and the clerk's written notice of any order disposing of a timely-filed post-trial motion. Any other pleadings and documents that the appealing party believes are necessary for the court to evaluate the specific questions raised on appeal and to determine whether the appeal is timely filed shall be filed as a separate appendix. The appendix shall contain a table of contents referring to numbered pages. Note: Also see Rule 26(5). If a ground for appeal is the legal sufficiency of the evidence, the question in the notice of appeal form raising that ground shall contain a succinct statement of why the evidence is alleged to be insufficient as a matter of law.Amended Apr. 4, 2014, eff. May 1, 2014; amended Nov.10, 2015., eff. Jan. 1, 2016; amended effective 7/1/2019; amended effective 1/1/2020; amended effective 1/1/2020.Comment
The language, "or, in the case of a sentence imposed in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding, within 30 days of the date the sentence is pronounced" was added to the last sentence of sections (1)(A) and (1)(B) and to section (2) in response to this court's decision in State v. Mottola, 166 N.H. 173 (2014).