Another Appeal Dismissed for Lack of SJIS Input
The appellants in Bolden v. Wise Alloys, LLC, released September 19, 2008, became the most recent to see an appeal dismissed because the judgment was not input into SJIS.
As both the Alabama Supreme Court and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals have pointed out, a judgment is not final unless it is input into the State Judicial Information System ("SJIS"). Rule 58(c) expressly states that "[a]n order or a judgment shall be deemed 'entered' within the meaning of these Rules and the Rules of Appellate Procedure as of the actual date of the input of the order or judgment into the State Judicial Information System." Although this case was initiated in 2005, Rule 58(c) applies to cases that were pending at the time the amendment became effective. Because the judgment was never properly input into SJIS, it was a nonfinal judgment and could not support an appeal.
