Appellate jurisdiction; Claim of appeal; MCR 7.204(A); Untimely service of a trial court’s judgment or order; MCR 7.204(A)(3); Application for leave to appeal; MCR 7.205

The court dismissed plaintiff’s appeal for lack of jurisdiction because her claim of appeal was untimely. Plaintiff sued defendants after allegedly observing rats in her apartment, vacating the unit, and terminating her lease. The trial court granted defendants summary disposition on 5/24/24, making 6/14/24 the ordinary deadline for a claim of appeal, but plaintiff filed on 6/25/24. The court held that “[t]he time limit for an appeal of right is jurisdictional,” and plaintiff’s reliance on MCR 7.205(A)(4) did not help because that rule governs “applications for leave to appeal, not claims of appeal.” The court also held that even assuming delayed service made MCR 7.204(A)(3) applicable, plaintiff still failed to meet that rule’s 14-day deadline. Plaintiff averred that she received the order on 6/7/24, meaning she had until 6/21/24 to file, but she did not file until 6/25/24. Because the claim of appeal was untimely and the deadline was jurisdictional, the court lacked jurisdiction. Appeal dismissed.