Tilden

INTRODUCTION

Two brothers, B. Gedney Tilden (Gedney) and M. William Tilden (Bill), disagreed over how their family cattle ranch should be managed. Following years of disagreement, Gedney filed a complaint to dissolve and wind up the limited partnership that owned and operated the ranch and for an accounting. Bill responded with a cross-complaint for declaratory relief. After a four-day bench trial, the trial court ordered the dissolution of the partnership. In a statement of decision attached to the minute order, the court gave Bill 60 days to buy out Gedney’s interests at fair market value and stated, it “will set a return hearing date to order further relief” pursuant to

California Corporations Code1 section 15908.02 once the 60 days has passed. Ninety days later, the court entered a formal judgment decreeing the partnership dissolved and denying Bill’s request for declaratory relief. It later granted in part and denied in part Bill’s motion to tax costs. The court has not ruled on Gedney’s second cause of action for a full accounting of the partnership’s activities or issued a wind-up decree. Bill filed three notices of appeal—from the minute order and statement of decision,…