Rule 84.19 Damages for Frivolous Appeals

If someone appeals a case just to cause delay or without any real legal basis, the court can make them pay a penalty. This penalty goes to the other side in the case, called the respondent. It's meant to cover the trouble and cost of dealing with an appeal that never had a fair chance of winning.

The court gets to decide how much this penalty should be. There's no fixed amount. The judges look at the situation and decide what feels fair given the circumstances.

This rule exists to stop people from filing appeals just to stall for time or annoy the other party. Filing an appeal should be based on a genuine belief that the lower court made a mistake, not used as a tool to delay paying a debt or dragging out a legal fight.