Wyoming Supreme Court Decisions 2016

Vasquez v. State  
Date: December 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 129
Docket Number: S-16-0036

Justia Opinion Summary: After a one-day jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court abused its discretion when it admitted evidence…

Ramirez v. State  
Date: December 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 128
Docket Number: S-16-0064

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered a conditional plea to a fourth offense felony DWUI charge, reserving the right to challenge the denial of his motion to dismiss. The court found Defendant guilty of his fourth DWUI offense in a ten-year…

City of Torrington v. Smith  
Date: December 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 126
Docket Number: S-16-0107

Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Torrington brought this action seeking judgment declaring that it was authorized to set rates for electrical services it provided to customers outside the City limits and that it had discretion to utilize…

Montoya v. State  
Date: December 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 127
Docket Number: S-16-0130

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with felony stalking. Defendant’s first jury trial ended in a mistrial. Thereafter, a second jury found Defendant guilty of felony stalking. Defendant was sentenced to a term of incarceration,…

Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc. v. City of Cheyenne  
Date: December 23, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 125
Docket Number: S-16-0103

Justia Opinion Summary: In anticipation of receiving the recommendations of a staffing and compensation study conducted by the City of Cheyenne’s contractor, the City created the Employee Investment Study Implementation Team (EIS Team). The EIS…

Acorn v. Moncecchi  
Date: December 22, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 124
Docket Numbers: S-16-0099, S-16-0100, S-16-0101

Justia Opinion Summary: Bud Federer, who died in 2003, enjoyed a successful career as a businessman in Wyoming. In 2011, Margie, Bud's wife, moved to an assisted living facility. During Bud’s life and after he died, the family created numerous…

Williams v. Sundstrom  
Date: December 21, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 122
Docket Number: S-16-0096

Justia Opinion Summary: Nikki Jo Burtsfield died in a law enforcement shooting. The county coroner examined the body and prepared the verdict and case docket, listing the manner and cause of death. Appellant filed a public records request with…

Jennifer Marie Reed v. The State of Wyoming
Date: December 21, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 123
Docket Number: S-16-0183
Trefren Construction Co. v. V&R Construction, LLC  
Date: December 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 121
Docket Number: S-16-0078

Justia Opinion Summary: Prior to his death, Timothy Trefren owned Trefren Construction and operated it as a sole proprietorship. Trefren Construction filed a complaint against V&R Construction, LLC and Cocca Development, Ltd. (collectively,…

Brown v. Brown  
Date: December 14, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 120
Docket Number: S-16-0154

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Tana Brown filed a complaint seeking a divorce from Darold Brown. Six days later, the district court signed a proposed stipulated decree of divorce. Ten months later, Tana moved to vacate or modify the divorce…

Marshall v. State  
Date: December 13, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 119
Docket Numbers: S-16-0007, S-16-0111

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor interference with a peace officer. Appellant’s appointed counsel moved to suspend proceedings pending a competency evaluation. The trial…

Jackman Construction, Inc. v. Rock Springs Winnelson Co.  
Date: December 13, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 118
Docket Number: S-16-0020

Justia Opinion Summary: Jackman Construction, Inc. (Jackman) was the successful bidder on a project to install new water lines and a pump station for the City of Green River. Rock Springs Winnelson Co. (Winnelson) supplied materials for the…

RA v. AW  
Date: December 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 117
Docket Number: S-16-0109

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, Mother filed a petition to terminate Father’s parental rights. The district court granted the petition, finding that Mother had proven grounds to terminate Father’s parental rights by clear and convincing…

Willey v. Willey  
Date: December 5, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 116
Docket Numbers: S-16-0041, S-16-0042

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed a complaint for declaratory judgment and a permanent injunction against his father, his father’s wife, and a bank serving as trustee of his father’s trust (collectively, Appellees), seeking to prevent…

Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc., v. Board of Trustees of Laramie County School District Number One  
Date: November 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 113
Docket Number: S-16-0059

Justia Opinion Summary: Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc. (the Tribune-Eagle) submitted a public records request to Laramie County School District Number One (the School District) asking to inspect certain school board member email communications. The…

Kenneth Eugene Christopher v. The State of Wyoming
Date: November 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 114
Docket Number: S-16-0166
William Kenneth Hall v. The State of Wyoming
Date: November 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 115
Docket Number: S-16-0178
McNaughton v. State  
Date: November 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 112
Docket Numbers: S-15-0118, S-16-0098

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. The district court sentenced Appellant to not less than four years nor more than eight years in prison. Appellant appealed,…

State ex rel. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation Division v. Beazer  
Date: November 23, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 111
Docket Number: S-16-0013

Justia Opinion Summary: Horsley Company, LLC was a Florida contractor hired to install equipment at the Jackson, Wyoming airport. Cody Beazer, Horsley’s employee, was injured while he was working on the airport project. The Workers’ Safety and…

Ronald Dale Anderson v. The State of Wyoming
Date: November 23, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 95 A-2
Docket Number: S-16-0156
Jones v. State  
Date: November 22, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 110
Docket Number: S-16-0005

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault and battery. The district court sentenced Defendant to forty to fifty years in prison for the attempted murder and to a…

Peak v. Peak  
Date: November 17, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 109
Docket Number: S-15-0271

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother filed for divorce from Father. After Father failed timely to file an answer to Mother’s complaint the clerk of court entered default. Father moved to set aside the entry of default. After a hearing, which Father…

Watkins v. State  
Date: November 16, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 108
Docket Number: S-16-0060

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree. Defendant was sentenced to serve concurrent terms of fifteen to thirty-five years in prison. Defendant…

Brown v. State  
Date: November 14, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 107
Docket Number: S-15-0264

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court erred when it allowed the…

Vance v. City of Laramie  
Date: November 7, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 106
Docket Number: S-16-0057

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was discharged from his position as a firefighter with the City of Laramie after random breathalyzer tests performed while he was on duty detected alcohol in his system. The Civil Service Commission reduced…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Robert W. Hiatt Jr., WSB # 6-2951
Date: November 1, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 105
Docket Number: D-16-0008
Hood v. State, ex rel. Department of Workforce Services  
Date: October 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 104
Docket Number: S-16-0058

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant suffered a work-related neck injury. The Wyoming Workers’ Safety and Compensation Division awarded Appellant benefits related to that injury and paid his associated medical bills. In 2011, Appellant began…

Clark v. Huffer  
Date: October 27, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 103
Docket Number: S-16-0062

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, the district court appointed Brenda Clark as the guardian of MKH, who was born not long after the appointment. In 2006, the court extended the guardianship. In 2014, Father filed a petition seeking to vacate the…

Tate v. State  
Date: October 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 102
Docket Number: S-16-0006

Justia Opinion Summary: After a four-day jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of multiple counts of first degree sexual assault, battery, and unlawful contact without bodily injury. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the district court…

In re Estate of Inman  
Date: October 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 101
Docket Number: S-16-0056

Justia Opinion Summary: Walker Inman executed an inter vivos trust and a last will and testament. After Mr. Inman died, Daralee Inman, his wife, petitioned the district court for probate of Mr. Inman’s estate. Two years after the probate was…

Bird v. Wyoming Board of Parole  
Date: October 18, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 100
Docket Number: S-16-0105

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was sentenced to two life sentences according to law for crimes he committed in the 1990s. In 2015, Defendant filed a complaint against the Wyoming Board of Parole and the Wyoming Department of Corrections…

In re SO  
Date: October 17, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 99
Docket Number: S-16-0071

Justia Opinion Summary: SO was in the legal custody of the Wyoming Department of Family Services and had been in the physical care of Foster Parents since she was three days old. The grandmother and step-grandfather of SO (together,…

ELA v. AAB  
Date: October 13, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 98
Docket Number: S-16-0090

Justia Opinion Summary: Father and Mother, who never married but had a son, stipulated to an order setting custody and visitation. This opinion inferred from the information that Father was the custodial parent and that Mother had defined…

Salinas v. State  
Date: October 10, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 97
Docket Number: S-16-0066

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of stalking. The district court sentenced Appellant to a term of three to five years in prison. Appellant appealed, arguing that the district court abused its discretion by…

Maverick Benefit Advisors, LLC v. Bostrom  
Date: October 6, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 96
Docket Number: S-16-0030

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs, the purchasers of a health claims administration company, brought a breach of contract action against Defendant, the seller. After learning that they had not acquired all of the assets that contracted to…

Dagoberto Ontiveros v. The State of Wyoming
Date: September 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 94
Docket Number: S-16-0127
Ronald Dale Anderson v. The State of Wyoming
Date: September 28, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 95 A
Docket Number: S-16-0156
Thornock v. PacifiCorp  
Date: September 13, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 93
Docket Number: S-15-0108

Justia Opinion Summary: Jason Thornock requested that PacifiCorp provide electric service to an irrigation pivot on his property using a particular easement. PacifiCorp did not utilize the easement that Thornock suggested but did provide…

Harnden v. State  
Date: September 13, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 92
Docket Number: s-15-0296

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree arson for setting a fire in a Walmart store. Defendant was sentenced to a term of ten to eighteen years in prison. Defendant appealed, arguing that there was…

Michael Isaac Green v. The State of Wyoming
Date: September 8, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 91
Docket Number: S-16-0143
Robinson v. State  
Date: September 7, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 90
Docket Number: S-16-0003

Justia Opinion Summary: After Defendant was placed on probation, the State filed a petition to revoke his probation on the grounds that Defendant violated the conditions of his probation. The district court determined that Robinson had violated…

Clark v. State, ex rel., Dep’t of Workforce Servs., Unemployment Ins. Comm’n  
Date: September 1, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 89
Docket Number: S-16-0034

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, a former fuel truck driver for Homax Oil Sales, Inc., was discharged from his position for unloading the incorrect fuels into tanks at various locations. Appellant applied for unemployment insurance benefits.…

Todd Michael Sindelar v. The State of Wyoming
Date: August 31, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 88
Docket Number: S-16-0119
Jensen v. State, ex rel., Dep’t of Workforce Servs., Workers' Comp. Div.  
Date: August 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 87
Docket Number: S-16-0017

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant fractured his right hip when, during the course of his employment, he climbed from the bed of a dump truck and fell onto a rock. After surgery was performed on the hip, Appellant had constant pain in both hips…

Sowers-Collison v. Hansley  
Date: August 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 86
Docket Number: S-16-0061

Justia Opinion Summary: Child was born to Mother and Father in 2003. Within the next year, Mother’s current husband came into her and her son’s life. In 2015, Mother filed a petition to change Child’s surname to Sowers-Collision. The district…

Mraz v. State  
Date: August 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 85
Docket Number: S-15-0175

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of seven counts of felony forgery and one count of misdemeanor theft. Defendant appealed, alleging that her prosecution was motivated by prosecutorial vindictiveness, that she…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Richard C. Bohling, WSB # 5-2625
Date: August 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 83
Docket Number: D-16-0004
Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Samuel P. Krone, WSB # 6-3534
Date: August 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 84
Docket Number: D-16-0005
Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Spencer L. Allred, WSB # 7-4601
Date: August 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 82
Docket Number: D-16-0006
Century Surety Co. v. Jim Hipner, LLC  
Date: August 17, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 81
Docket Number: S-15-0294

Justia Opinion Summary: Jim Hipner, LLC (Hipner), a trucking company, obtained an umbrella policy from Century Surety Company (Century) that contained a notice provision stating that the insured will notify Century “as soon as practicable” of…

Rogers v. Russell Constr. Co., Inc.  
Date: August 16, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 80
Docket Number: S-15-0297

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, William Rogers was working for Russell Construction Company (Russell) when he claimed to have fallen against a ledge of old concrete. In 2014, the Workers' Compensation Division issued a determination that…

State ex rel., Dep’t of Workforce Servs., Unemployment Ins. Comm’n v. Kinneman  
Date: August 10, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 79
Docket Number: S-15-0289

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was discharged from her position as high school principal of the St. Stephens Indian School for “not promptly assessing a student who was potentially intoxicated and allowing the student to remain in class…

Zupan v. Zupan  
Date: August 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 78
Docket Number: S-15-0259

Justia Opinion Summary: Father and Mother divorced in 2004 and agreed to share custody of their two children, Daughter and Son. In 2011, the parties stipulated to a modification of custody providing that Daughter would live with Mother…

Guy v. Lampert  
Date: August 3, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 77
Docket Number: S-15-0237

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate at Wyoming’s medium-security correctional facility in Torrington, wrote a letter to the warden asking to inspect certain public records of that institution. The institution’s employees provided him…

Webster v. State  
Date: August 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 76
Docket Number: S-15-0252

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant stole a car in Thermopolis and drove it toward Colorado. Defendant was arrested and jailed in Colorado. The State of Wyoming charged Defendant in Laramie County with receiving stolen property and in Hot Springs…

Meiners v. Meiners  
Date: August 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 74
Docket Number: S-16-0033

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, as personal representative of the Estate of Theodore Meiners, filed an action seeking enforcement of a divorce settlement agreement entered into between Theodore and his former wife, Colleen Meiners. The…

Candelario v. State  
Date: August 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 75
Docket Number: S-16-0088

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled no contest to charges of larceny, burglary, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Appellant later filed a motion to correct an illegal sentence, arguing that his sentence was…

JLK v. MAB  
Date: July 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 73
Docket Number: S-15-0292

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother and Father shared custody of their child pursuant to a custody order that provided for the parties to alternate custody on a weekly basis. The custody order included a drug testing requirement allowing Mother to…

Wiese v. State  
Date: July 18, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 72
Docket Number: S-15-0261

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of one count of burglary. Appellant was sentenced to eighteen to thirty-six months in prison. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Appellant failed to meet his burden of…

Edsall v. Moore  
Date: July 15, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 71
Docket Number: S-15-0274

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellees, the purported owners of the “Jay Ranch,” brought an action against Appellant to establish a private road across Appellant’s property. While this suit was pending, Appellees were involved in litigation to…

Young v. State  
Date: July 12, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 70
Docket Number: S-15-0232

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. During the trial, the district court allowed the State to introduce expert testimony involving retrograde extrapolation to prove that…

Jennings v. State  
Date: July 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 69
Docket Number: S-15-0283

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and obstruction of a peace officer. Defendant filed a motion to suppress, arguing that the stop of…

Felix Felicis, LLC v. Riva Ridge Owners Ass’n  
Date: June 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 67
Docket Number: S-15-0236

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants, the owners of a tract of land in the Riva Ridge subdivision, submitted their plans to build a home and writer’s studio to the Riva Ridge Owners Association’s Site Committee. The Site Committee rejected the…

Barela v. State  
Date: June 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 68
Docket Number: S-15-0280

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to twenty-eight years to life. In 2015, Appellant filed a pro se motion to correct an illegal sentence, claiming that his sentence was illegal…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Clay B. Jenkins, WSB # 5-2249
Date: June 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 64
Docket Number: D-16-0002
Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. J. Craig Abraham, WSB # 6-3436
Date: June 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 66
Docket Number: D-16-0003
Lemley v. State  
Date: June 29, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 65
Docket Number: S-15-0225

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of possessing small amounts of morphine and methamphetamine. The offenses were felonies due to Defendant’s prior controlled substance convictions. The district court sentenced…

Thornock v. Esterholdt  
Date: June 27, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 63
Docket Number: S-15-0273

Justia Opinion Summary: Jason and Tracy Thornock (together, Plaintiffs), who owned a ranch in Lincoln County, filed a complaint against neighboring landowners (Defendants), alleging that their property was landlocked and requesting…

Dougherty v. State  
Date: June 22, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 62
Docket Number: S-15-0218

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of one count child endangering/obscene act. The conviction arose from Defendant’s act of exposing himself to an eleven-year-old girl and then masturbating. Defendant appealed,…

Vance v. Wyomed Lab., Inc.  
Date: June 16, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 61
Docket Number: S-15-0220

Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Laramie fired Bret Vance, an employee of the City’s Fire Department, after Wyomed Laboratory, Inc. conducted a breathalyzer test on Vance that indicated the presence of alcohol. Vance filed suit against…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Richard C. Bohling, WSB # 5-2625
Date: June 15, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 60
Docket Number: D-16-0004
Taylor Wofford v. City of Laramie
Date: June 10, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 59
Docket Numbers: S-15-0226, S-15-0227
Bates v. Chicago Lumber Co. of Omaha  
Date: June 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 58
Docket Numbers: S-15-0206, S-15-0207

Justia Opinion Summary: Contractor Anderson Carpentry and Construction built a home for Shad and Trisha Bates. Anderson contracted with Century Lumber Center to purchase supplies and materials to build the Bates home. The Bates paid Anderson…

Christopher G. Appling v. The State of Wyoming
Date: June 8, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 57
Docket Number: S-16-0025
Sadler v. Wyoming  
Date: June 3, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 56
Docket Number: S-15-0200

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Justin Sadler was convicted by jury of aggravated assault. Prior to his state trial, Sadler was convicted in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm, based on the same circumstances that gave…

Clay v. Wyoming  
Date: May 27, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 55
Docket Number: S-15-0240

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Marvin Clay challenged the denial of his motion to suppress evidence supporting a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. The officer testified that he made the stop because the car did not have…

Golden v. Guion  
Date: May 26, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 54
Docket Numbers: S-15-0247, S-15-0248, S-15-0249

Justia Opinion Summary: Three consolidated cases involved an ongoing dispute over personal property awarded to Megan Golden in her 2012 divorce from Todd Guion. Golden appealed the district court’s order that: (1) rejected her request for a…

In the Matter of the Worker's Compensation Claim of: Leib v. Wyoming, ex rel., Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation Division  
Date: May 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 53
Docket Number: S-15-0235

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Mary Leib sought benefits from the Wyoming Workers’ Compensation Division after she developed abscesses in her breasts. Leib was employed as a maintenance worker for Laramie County Community College in…

Lafferty v. Wyoming  
Date: May 19, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 52
Docket Number: S-15-0169

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jeffery Lafferty was incarcerated awaiting trial for 811 days before pleading guilty to two counts of taking indecent liberties with his minor stepdaughter. After balancing the required factors, the district…

Shriners Hosps. for Children v. First N. Bank of Wyoming  
Date: May 18, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 51
Docket Numbers: S-15-0238, S-15-0239

Justia Opinion Summary: Alfred and Pegge Cooksley placed their ranch and other property in a revocable charitable trust (Trust) that named Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Kalif Children’s Travel Fund as beneficiaries and First Northern…

Lokey v. Irwin  
Date: May 17, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 50
Docket Number: S-15-0233

Justia Opinion Summary: Jeff Lokey and Mike Irwin were business partners in two Wyoming businesses. After the parties dissolved their shared business interests, Irwin filed suit against Lokey, alleging that Lokey had materially breached the…

Snell v. Snell  
Date: May 16, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 49
Docket Number: S-15-0276

Justia Opinion Summary: Imogene and Clyde Snell were the parents of William Snell and Clyde Allen Snell (Allen). William and Allen were remainder beneficiaries of a revocable trust executed by Imogene. The trust contained a choice of law…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Bruce S. Asay, WSB # 5-1739
Date: May 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 47
Docket Number: D-16-0001
Bean v. State  
Date: May 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 48
Docket Number: S-15-0177

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Defendant was arrested for the 1972 rape and murder of Sharon Reher. After a jury trial, Defendant was acquitted of rape and murder but convicted of attempted rape. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district…

Palmer v. State  
Date: April 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 46
Docket Number: S-15-0243

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pled guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual assault and was sentenced to three consecutive sentences of eight to sixteen years. The district court credited ninety-nine days of presentence confinement…

JR v. TLW  
Date: April 19, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 45
Docket Number: S-15-0215

Justia Opinion Summary: Father and Mother were not married and shared custody of their two children. Father filed a petition to establish paternity, custody, visitation, and support after he learned that Mother planned to move from Wyoming to…

Emerson v. State  
Date: April 15, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 44
Docket Numbers: S-15-0056, S-15-0223

Justia Opinion Summary: The State charged Appellant with aggravated assault and battery. At trial, Appellant claimed he had acted in self-defense. After a three-day trial, the jury found Appellant guilty. Appellant subsequently filed a motion…

CLB v. State, Dep’t of Family Servs.  
Date: April 12, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 43
Docket Number: S-15-0211

Justia Opinion Summary: After Mother’s youngest two children were placed in the legal custody of Wyoming’s Department of Family Services (Department), Mother was convicted of assault and battery and incarcerated. The Department subsequently…

Poignee v. State  
Date: April 6, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 42
Docket Number: S-15-0172

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered a plea of no contest to one count of delivery of methamphetamine. In 2011, the district court revoked Defendant’s probation and entered judgment on her no contest plea. The court sentenced Defendant to…

Redding v. State  
Date: April 1, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 41
Docket Number: S-15-0205

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded guilty to misdemeanor breach of peace and misdemeanor interference with a peace officer. Two days later, the State filed an information charging Defendant with felony interference with a peace officer…

Watts v. State  
Date: March 31, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 40
Docket Number: S-15-0188

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of aggravated assault and battery. Defendant appealed, arguing that the prosecutor committed prosecutorial misconduct by incorrectly instructing the jury regarding the…

Jose D. Oliveres v. The State of Wyoming
Date: March 30, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 39
Docket Number: S-15-0275
Dane v. Dane  
Date: March 15, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 38
Docket Number: S-15-0171

Justia Opinion Summary: After just more than three years of marriage, Wife sued Husband for divorce. Wife subsequently filed a motion to amend her complaint to add a cause of action for promissory estoppel. The district court denied the motion,…

Eshleman v. Rosenberg  
Date: March 14, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 37
Docket Number: S-15-0219

Justia Opinion Summary: When Child was approximately one year old, Mother left Child in the care of Aunt, Mother’s sister. Aunt was appointed temporary guardian of Child. Aunt then filed a petition for permanent guardianship. After an…

Carter v. State  
Date: March 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 36
Docket Number: S-15-0137

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with felony interference with a peace officer. Ultimately, the case was submitted to the jury. The jury deliberated for approximately four hours before it informed the district court that it was…

JN v. RFSG  
Date: March 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 35
Docket Number: S-15-0182

Justia Opinion Summary: After Father and Mother separated, the parties’ child lived with Mother. Father later filed a petition to establish paternity and visitation, and, eventually, regular visitation between Father and the child was…

Pennaco Energy, Inc. v. Sorenson  
Date: March 11, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 34
Docket Number: S-15-0210

Justia Opinion Summary: Pennaco Energy Inc. acquired mineral leases beneath a surface estate owned by Brett Sorenson, Trustee of the Brett L. Sorenson Trust. A surface damage and use agreement between the parties granted Pennaco access to and…

Mendoza v. State  
Date: March 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 31
Docket Number: S-15-0178

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated burglary. Defendant was sentenced to twelve to eighteen years for the manslaughter conviction and eight to ten years for the aggravated battery, to run…

Lindstrom v. State  
Date: March 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 33
Docket Number: S-15-0203

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Appellant was convicted of ten felonies for acts perpetrated against his ex-girlfriend, their son, and Appellant’s six-year-old second cousin. The Supreme Court affirmed. In 2015, Appellant filed a motion for a…

Gregory Dean Martinez v. The State of Wyoming
Date: March 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 32
Docket Number: S-15-0269
Hawes v. Wyoming  
Date: March 4, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 30
Docket Numbers: S-15-0185, S-15-0191, S-15-0192

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of kidnapping and felony stalking. The Supreme Court reversed the stalking conviction but affirmed the kidnapping conviction. On remand, the district court amended the sentencing order. Appellant…

Wimer v. Cook  
Date: March 3, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 29
Docket Numbers: S-15-0154, S-15-0155

Justia Opinion Summary: Several individuals (collectively, “the Wimers”) filed a complaint against their neighbors (collectively, “the Cooks”) seeking an injunction prohibiting the Cooks from carrying out their plan of placing multiple…

Hill v. State  
Date: March 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 27
Docket Number: S-15-0133

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of five counts of reckless endangering, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count of eluding police. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) there was sufficient…

Hart v. State  
Date: March 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 28
Docket Number: S-15-0176

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to felony shoplifting and was placed on supervised probation for four years. Three years later, the State filed a petition to revoke Appellant’s probation, alleging that she violated the conditions…

Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Jo Ann Fulton
Date: February 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 23
Docket Number: D-06-3
Board of Professional Responsibility, Wyoming State Bar v. Laurence W. Stinson, WSB No. 6-2918
Date: February 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 25
Docket Number: D-15-0007
CSC Group Holdings, LLC v. Automation & Electronics, Inc.  
Date: February 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 26
Docket Numbers: S-15-0146, S-15-0173

Justia Opinion Summary: Automation & Electronics, Inc. (A&E) and Consolidated Electric Distributors, Inc. (CE) sued for Red Desert Reclamation, LLC for amounts due on their respective contracts. Pursuant to a stipulation between A&E and Red…

Daley v. State  
Date: February 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 22
Docket Number: S-15-0159

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of misdemeanor unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Because it was Defendant’s third or subsequent offense, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison with…

DB v. State  
Date: February 24, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 24
Docket Numbers: S-15-0194, S-15-0208

Justia Opinion Summary: Due to the county attorney's allegations that Mother neglected Child, the juvenile court temporarily placed Child with Grandmother. Father agreed that Child should remain in the custody of the Department of Family…

Williams v. Williams  
Date: February 18, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 21
Docket Number: S-15-0148

Justia Opinion Summary: Father and Mother had one child together when Mother filed for divorce. The district court ordered the parties to share physical custody of the child, alternating between Father’s residence and Mother’s residence until…

Poitra v. State  
Date: February 17, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 20
Docket Number: S-15-0115

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of felony first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Appellant was nineteen years old at the time the murder was committed. Appellant filed a motion seeking a…

Harada v. State  
Date: February 16, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 19
Docket Number: S-15-0181

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered into a plea agreement pursuant to which Defendant agreed to plead guilty to third degree sexual assault in exchange for a deferred prosecution and a five-year supervised probation. After Defendant had…

Collins v. COP Wyoming, LLC  
Date: February 10, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 18
Docket Number: S-15-0098

Justia Opinion Summary: Charley Collins and his son, Brett, were both employed by COP Wyoming, LLC. Roger Ross, a job superintendent, was operating a track hoe when he struck Brett in the head, severely injuring him. Brett died from his…

Sky Harbor Air Serv., Inc. v. Cheyenne Reg’l Airport Bd.  
Date: February 9, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 17
Docket Numbers: S-15-0144, S-15-0145, S-15-0143

Justia Opinion Summary: At the heart of these three consolidated appeals was Sky Harbor’s alleged failure to pay rent to the Cheyenne Regional Airport and to leave the Airport premises. Sky Harbor argued that the district court lacked subject…

Griggs v. State  
Date: February 2, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 16
Docket Number: S-14-0200

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of four counts of first degree sexual abuse involving two minors. Defendant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court affirmed,…

Shue v. State  
Date: February 1, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 15
Docket Number: S-15-0187

Justia Opinion Summary: Pursuant to a plea agreement, Defendant pled guilty to one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Defendant later filed a motion for sentence modification or reduction under newly discovered evidence arguing that…

Demers v. Nicks  
Date: January 27, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 13
Docket Number: S-15-0167

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother and Father separated in 2005, when their child was ten months old, and largely shared parenting of the child. In 2012, Father filed a petition to establish custody, visitation, and child support. The district…

Goodwyn v. Wallop  
Date: January 27, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 14
Docket Number: S-15-0288

Justia Opinion Summary: This matter arose following the Supreme Court’s opinion in Wallop Canyon Ranch, LLC v. Goodwyn, in which the Supreme Court affirmed a district court order awarding Scott Goodwyn attorney fees pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann.…

Castellanos v. State  
Date: January 26, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 11
Docket Number: S-15-0029

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted first degree murder. The jury trial began 210 days after Defendant’s arrest and 869 days after his arraignment.…

Marfil v. State  
Date: January 26, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 12
Docket Number: S-15-0125

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of second degree sexual abuse of a minor. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court erred by refusing his proffered instruction defining the term…

Rogers v. Wright  
Date: January 22, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 10
Docket Number: S-15-0127

Justia Opinion Summary: Leon and Brenda Rogers purchased a home from Jeffrey Wright. The Rogers subsequently discovered several defects in the home and sued Wright, JWright Development, LLC, and JWright Companies, Inc. (collectively, the…

Kamm v. Kamm  
Date: January 21, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 8
Docket Number: S-15-0101

Justia Opinion Summary: Husband and Wife divorced in 2014. Wife appealed from the judgment of divorce, arguing that the district court abused its discretion in not awarding her alimony, erred in its property division, and erred in finding that…

Askin v. State  
Date: January 21, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 9
Docket Number: S-15-0162

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to escape and received a sentence that was suspended in favor of probation. Appellant’s probation was later revoked and the prison sentence for his escape conviction was re-imposed. Appellant…

Vaught v. State  
Date: January 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 7
Docket Number: S-15-0130

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the district court did not commit plain error by failing to instruct the jury on…

Meyer v. Fanning  
Date: January 20, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 6
Docket Number: S-15-0134

Justia Opinion Summary: P. Richard Meyer executed a last will and testament in 2008, bequeathing all of his property to his fourth wife, Miracles Meyer, and naming her as his personal representative. The will complied with the form for…

Chapman v. Wyo. Dep't of Corr.  
Date: January 15, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 5
Docket Number: S-15-0112

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed a 42 U.S.C. 1983 civil rights action in the district court asserting four federal constitutional claims and one state law claim, alleging that, while he was an inmate in the state of Wyoming under the…

Crofts v. State ex rel. Dep’t of Game & Fish  
Date: January 7, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 4
Docket Number: S-15-0090

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, a long-term Game & Fish employee, was terminated after two disciplinary suspensions and her filing of a complaint alleging hostile work environment sexual harassment, grieving the disciplinary suspensions, and…

Merit Energy Co., LLC v. Horr  
Date: January 6, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 3
Docket Number: S-15-0141

Justia Opinion Summary: Merit Energy Company, LLC hired an independent contractor, Basic Energy Services, Inc. to clean out its oil and gas wells. Basic employee Blake Horr was injured while performing the job. Horr brought suit against Merit,…

Steven M. Porvaznik v. The State of Wyoming
Date: January 6, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 2
Docket Number: S-15-0201
Knospler v. State  
Date: January 5, 2016
Citation: 2016 WY 1
Docket Number: S-15-0158

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of second-degree murder. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its discretion in (1) excluding evidence relating to…

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