Rule 120.01 Appeals

If you want to appeal a juvenile or family court decision in Missouri, you can only do so if a state law specifically allows it. Not every court decision can be appealed, so you need to check whether a statute gives you that right in your situation.

Filing an appeal does not automatically stop the court's judgment from taking effect. Even if you file a notice of appeal or file another motion after the judgment, the original order still stands and can be enforced. The only way to pause or stop the judgment while you appeal is if the court specifically orders a stay, which is a formal order pausing enforcement. Without that order, the other side can move forward with enforcing the judgment even while your appeal is in progress.