Sample matters
Appeals, motions and what came of them
These are examples, written to show how an outcome and its limits belong together. Some were wins and some weren’t.
Reversed
Lease dispute, judgment for the landlord
The trial court counted one repair bill twice. The appeals court corrected the arithmetic, and the judgment fell from $62,000 to $24,500.
2025 · Sample matter
A smaller judgment is not a refund: each side still carried its own costs of the appeal.
Sentence vacated
Theft conviction, sentence above the statutory range
The sentence ran past what the statute allowed. The court sent the case back for a new sentencing hearing; the conviction itself stood.
2025 · Sample matter
A new hearing can end in a sentence close to the old one. Nothing here was an acquittal.
Affirmed
Employment contract, appeal brought by the other side
We defended a win from a bench trial. The court agreed with the trial judge on every issue raised, and the judgment stood.
2024 · Sample matter
An affirmance keeps a result in place. Defending an appeal has a cost of its own.
New trial ordered
Assault conviction, jury instruction challenged
The jury was never told about a defense the evidence supported. The objection had been made at trial, so the court ordered a new one.
2024 · Sample matter
A new trial is a second chance at the case, not a finding of innocence, and the outcome is open.
Petition granted
Post-conviction motion, plea entered on wrong advice
The court found the plea had rested on a mistake about its consequences, and set it aside so the case could start again.
2025 · Sample matter
Setting aside a plea reopens the case. It does not decide how the case will end.
Affirmed, against us
Negligence verdict, damages challenged
We argued the damages were unsupported. The court disagreed and left the verdict as it was; the client had been told that was the likelier result.
2023 · Sample matter
Not every appeal succeeds. A first read tells you the odds, not the outcome.
Sample matters, written as examples for this template; an owner replaces them with real ones. Every appeal turns on its own record, and past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome.
Have a judgment that looks like one of these?
Each one began with a date and a record. Send yours and Adaline will tell you where it sits.