GAVIN VS. GAVIN (FAMILY)

In plain language

Robert Gavin filed an appeal on his own, without a lawyer, asking the Nevada Supreme Court to review a decision from the Clark County district court. The district court had dismissed his case and then denied his request to reconsider that dismissal. When someone files an appeal in Nevada, the appellate court requires certain paperwork early on, including either a request for the trial-court transcripts (so the appellate justices can read what happened below) or a statement that no transcript is needed, plus a "docketing statement" that summarizes the case. The Supreme Court told Gavin on December 5, 2025, to file these documents within set deadlines. When he did not, the court sent a second order on January 7, 2026, giving him until January 21, 2026, and warning that missing the deadline could cause the appeal to be thrown out. Gavin still did not file the documents. Treating the silence as abandonment of the appeal, the Supreme Court dismissed the case. The dismissal is procedural; the court did not address the merits of his underlying dispute.

Holdings

• -An appeal may be dismissed as abandoned where the appellant, after notice and a further order with an explicit deadline and warning, fails to file a transcript request form or certificate of no transcript request and a docketing statement.

Practitioner analysis

The court dismissed this pro se civil appeal for failure to prosecute after the appellant did not file a transcript request form or certificate of no transcript request, and did not file a docketing statement, despite both an initial notice issued December 5, 2025, and a subsequent order issued January 7, 2026, that set a January 21, 2026 deadline and warned that noncompliance could result in dismissal. The court concluded the appellant had abandoned the appeal and dismissed accordingly. The order is signed by Justices Stiglich, Cadish, and Lee.