The party appealing shall be known as the appellant and the adverse party as the respondent, but the title of the action shall not be changed in consequence of the appeal. Whenever the words “appellant” and “respondent” appear in these Rules, they shall be taken to mean and include other parties occupying like positions in a case.
Rule 81.03.Designation of Parties on Appeal.
Part I · Rule 81: Appeals · Last amended January 1, 1980 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 81.03 fixes the labels used on appeal — the party appealing is the appellant and the other side is the respondent — while leaving the case's original title unchanged, and it extends those labels to anyone standing in a like position.
Full Text of Rule 81.03
Amendment History
Adopted June 13, 1979, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 81.03 sets the vocabulary for everything that follows in the appeal rules. The party who appeals becomes the appellant. The other side becomes the respondent. Those labels do not change the caption of the case — a case does not get renamed just because it moves from trial court to appellate court.
The rule also reaches beyond the original plaintiff and defendant. Whenever the words appellant and respondent appear anywhere in the rules, they cover any other party occupying a like position in the case, such as an intervenor or third-party defendant who ends up appealing or defending an appeal in the same role. That keeps the terminology in Rules 81 through 84 consistent no matter how many parties are in the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the case name change once someone appeals?
No. The title of the action stays the same; only the labels appellant and respondent get added.
Who is the “appellant” versus the “respondent”?
The appellant is the party taking the appeal. The respondent is the adverse party.
What if a person other than the original plaintiff or defendant appeals?
Rule 81.03 extends the appellant and respondent labels to any other party occupying a like position, such as an intervenor.
Why does this terminology matter?
Because Rules 81 through 84 use appellant and respondent throughout; fixing what those words mean keeps the rest of the appeal rules consistent.
Does this rule apply beyond Rule 81?
Yes. It governs how those terms are read wherever they appear in the rules.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: appellant respondent definitionwho is the appellantcase caption on appealparty designation appeal