# C o u rt o f

A p p ea ls

o f t h e S t a te o f

G eo rg ia

ATLANTA,_

_ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Th e Co u rt

o f Ap p ea l s h er eb y p a s s es t h e f

o ll owi n g o r der :

A2 0 A1 64 9 . LEYNW OOD THOMAS, J R . v

. THE STATE.

A ju ry fo u n d Ley n wo o d T h o m as

, J r. g u i l ty o f ag grav at ed s o d o m y

, an d h e was

s en t en ced o n Sep tem

b er 1 4

, 2 0 1 8

. On O ct o b er 2 4

, 2 0 18

, Th o m as fi l ed a m ot i o n fo r

n ew t ri al

, wh ich t h e t ri al co u rt d en i ed o n Feb ru ary 1 8

, 2 0 2 0

. Th o m as fi l ed a n o t i ce o f

ap p eal o n M arch 1 0, 2 02 0 . W e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n.

To b e t i m el y

, a n o t i ce of ap p eal m u s t b e fi l ed wi t h i n 3 0 d ay s aft er en try o f t h e

ap p eal ab l e o rd er. OCGA § 5 -6 -3 8 ( a )

. Th e p ro p er an d ti m el y fi l i n g o f a n o t i ce o f

ap p eal i s an ab s ol u t e req u i rem en t t o co n fer ju ri s d ict i o n o n t hi s Co u rt . See Ro wl a n d

v. St a t e

, 2 6 4 G a. 8 7 2 (1 ) (4 5 2 SE2 d 7 5 6) (1 9 9 5 ). Al t h o ug h t h e fi l i n g o f a m o t i o n fo r

n ew tri al g en eral l y ex t en d s t h e d ead l in e fo r fi l i ng a n o t ice of ap p eal

, s uch m o t i o n i s

n o t v al i d u n l es s fi l ed wi t h i n 3 0 d ay s aft er t h e en try o f t h e ju d g m en t. See W r i g h t v.

Rh o des

, 1 9 8 Ga. Ap p

. 2 6 9 (4 01 SE2 d 3 5 ) (1 99 0 ); OCGA § 5 -5 -4 0 (a). An u n t i m el y

m o ti o n fo r a n ew t ri al i s v o i d a n d d o es n o t ex ten d t h e t i m e fo r fi l i ng a n o t i ce o f

ap p eal

. W i cks v. S t a t e

, 2 7 7 Ga. 1 2 1

, 1 2 1-1 2 2 (5 8 7 SE2 d 2 1 ) (2 0 0 3 ). Becau s e Th o m as

d i d n ot fi l e a m o t i on fo r n ew t ri a l w i t h i n 3 0 d ay s aft er en t ry o f t h e ju d g m en t o f

co n vi ct i o n , t h e m o ti o n d i d no t ex t en d t h e ap p eal d ead l i n e. 1 Acco rd i n g ly , Th o m as ’ s

1 In W as h i n g t o n v. S ta t e

, 2 7 6 Ga. 65 5

, 6 5 6 (1 ) (5 8 1 SE2 d 5 1 8 ) (2 0 0 3 ), t h e

Su p rem e Co u rt h el d th at i f a p art y o b t ai n s perm is si o n fro m th e tri al co u rt to fi l e an

o u t -o f-t i m e m o t i o n fo r new tri al

, an d t h e t ri al c o u r t t h e n d en i es t h e m ot i o n o n i t s

m eri t s

, a p art y i s en t i tl ed t o fi le a d i rect ap p eal i n wh ich t h e ap p el l at e co u rt ad d res s es

t h e m eri ts o f t h e ap p eal fro m t h e d en i al o f t he o u t -o f-t i m e m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

. Here,

i t d o es n ot ap p ear fro m t h e reco rd t h at t h e t ri al co urt g ran t e d p e r m i s s i o n t o fi l e an

o u t -o f-t i m e m ot io n fo r n ew t ri al

. December 01, 2020n o t i ce o f ap peal i s u n ti m el y

, an d t h i s c a s e is h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f

ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

W e no t e, h o w ev er, t hat Th o m as

, w h o was rep res en t ed b y co un s el

, m ay b e

en t i t l ed t o p u rs u e an o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal t o t h e ex t en t th at h is ri g h t t o ap p eal h as b een

f r u s t r a t e d b y erro rs of co u n s el

. See Ro wl a n d v. S t a t e

, 2 64 Ga. at 8 75 -8 76 (2 ). H e

t h erefo re i s i n fo rm ed o f t h e fo l l o wi n g i n acco rd an ce w i th Ro wl a n d : Th is ap p eal h as

b een di s m i s s ed b ecau s e y ou fai l ed t o fi l e a t i m el y n ot i ce o f ap p eal

. If y o u s t i l l wi s h

t o ap peal

, y o u m ay p et i ti o n t h e tri al co u rt fo r l eav e to fi l e an o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal

. If t h e

t ri al co u rt g ran t s y o u r req u es t , y o u wi ll h av e 3 0 d ay s fro m t h e en try o f t h at o rd er to

fi le a n o t i c e o f ap p eal referen ci n g y o u r co n v ict i o n

. If th e t ri al co u rt den i es y o u r

req u es t , y o u wi l l h av e 3 0 d ay s fro m t h e en t ry o f t h at o rd er t o fi le a n o t i ce o f ap p eal

referen ci n g t h e den i al o f y o u r req u es t fo r an o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal

. Th e Cl erk o f Co u rt

i s DIRECTED t o s en d a co p y of t h i s o rd er t o Th o m as an d t o Th o m as ’ s at t o rn ey

, an d

t h e l at ter i s al s o DIRECTED t o s en d a co p y t o Th om as

.

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s o f t h e S t a t e o

f G e o r g ia

C le r k ’ s O f f i c e

, A t la n t a

,

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e i s a t r u e e x t r a c t f r o m

t h e m i n u t e s o

f t h e C o u r t o

f A p p e a l s o f G e o r g i a

. W i tn e s s m y s i g n a t u r e a n d th e s e a l o

f s a i d c o u r t

h e r e t o a f f i x e d t h e d a y a n d y e a r l a s t a b o v e w r i t t e n

.

, C l e r k

. 12/01/2020