LEGAL PRINCIPLE: APPELLATE PRACTICE – Jurisdiction of Appellate Court – Court Cannot Decide Pending Issues Through Inherent Powers While Appeal Is Pending

Once a matter is on appeal, the trial court loses jurisdiction over issues appealed and cannot use inherent powers to decide those issues while the appeal is pending. This prevents conflicting determinations—the trial court deciding one way while the appellate court decides differently. Inherent powers are broad but cannot override appellate jurisdiction. When parties appeal, they invoke appellate court’s exclusive authority over the appealed issues. The trial court must await the appellate decision before taking further action on those issues. This principle maintains the hierarchical court structure and prevents trial courts from undermining appeals by re-deciding matters under guise of inherent jurisdiction. Inherent powers remain available for matters not on appeal or for case management not affecting substantive issues under appeal.