FI FTH DI VI SI ON

M CFA DDEN, P. J.

, BRA NCH and BETHEL, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

October 26, 2017



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 7 A1 17 1 . IN THE INTEREST OF A. F. et al ., ch i l d ren

.

M C F A D D E N , Pres id i n g J u d g e.

W e g ran t ed d i s c r e t i o n ary ap p el l at e rev i ew o f t h e ju v en i l e co u rt ’ s ju d g m en t

t erm i n at i n g a m o t h er’s p a r e n t al ri g ht s t o h er t h ree m i n or ch i ld ren

. Befo re s eek i n g

ap p el l at e rev i ew, t he m o t h e r fi l ed a m ot i o n fo r a n ew t ri al

, arg u i n g , am o n g o t h er

t h i n g s , th at t h e ev i d en ce was i n s u f f i c i e n t an d t h at s h e h ad recei v ed i n effect i v e

as s i s tan ce o f t ri al co un s el . Al t ho u g h t h e m o t her req u es ted a h eari n g o n t h e m o t i o n,

t h e ju v en i l e co u rt d e n i e d t h e m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al wi t h o u t ho l d i n g a h eari n g

. On

ap p eal

, t h e m o t h er arg ues , am o n g o t her th i n g s , th at t h e ju v en i l e co u rt erred i n fai l i n g

t o h o l d a h eari ng . W e ag ree, an d t h erefo re we rev ers e t h e ju d g m en t an d rem an d t h e

cas e fo r fu rt h er p ro ceed i n g s n o t i n co n s i s t en t wi t h t hi s o p i ni o n

.“ [A] m o v an t fo r a n ew tri al i s en t i t l ed t o a h eari n g o n h i s [o r h er] m o t i o n.”

Peyt o n v. Peyt o n , 2 3 6 Ga. 1 1 9, 1 2 0 (1 ) (2 2 3 S E2 d 9 6 ) (1 9 7 6 ) (ci t at io n s o m i t t ed ).

Acco rd W

r i g h t v. Ba r n es , 2 40 Ga. Ap p. 6 8 4

, 68 5 (5 2 4 SE2 d 75 8 ) (1 9 9 9 ). Th i s ri g ht

i s gro un d ed b o t h i n O C G A § 5 -5 -4 0 (fo rm erl y Co d e An n

. § 7 0 -3 0 1 ) an d in

co n st i t u t io n al req u i rem en t s fo r p ro ced u ral du e p ro ces s. See Di ck v. S t at e , 2 4 8 Ga.

8 9 8

, 8 9 9 (1 ) (2 8 7 SE2 d 1 1 ) (1 9 82 ); Peyt o n , s u p ra, 2 3 6 Ga. at 1 2 0 (1 ); Fo s ter v. S t a t e ,

2 3 0 Ga. 8 7 0 (1 9 9 SE2 d 79 0 ) (1 9 7 3 ); S h o ckl ey v. S t at e , 2 3 0 Ga. 8 6 9 (1 9 9 SE2 d 7 9 1 )

(1 9 7 3); G a n t t v. S

wea t ma n , 1 6 2 Ga. Ap p

. 7 3 8

, 7 3 9 (1 ) (2 9 3 SE2 d 3 5 9 ) (1 9 8 2 ). An d

d u e p ro ces s co n s i d erat i o ns are p a r t i cu l arl y ap p aren t wh ere, as h ere, a p aren t i n a

t erm i n at i o n p ro ceed i n g ch al l en g es th e effect i v en es s o f t ri al co un s el

, b ecau s e wi t h o ut

t ri al co u n s el ’ s tes ti m on y at a p o s t -ju d g m en t heari ng , i t i s ex t rem el y d i ffi cu l t fo r t h e

p aren t t o o v erco m e t h e p res u m p t i o n t h at tr i a l c o u n s el was effect i v e. See In t h e

In t er es t o f D. H.

, 2 9 0 G a. Ap p

. 6 6

, 7 2 (3 ) (6 58 SE2 d 8 3 1 ) (2 00 8 ). So al t h o u g h t h ere

i s n o t a s p eci fi c u n i fo rm r u l e r eq u i ri n g a ju ven i l e co u rt t o co n du ct a heari n g o n a

m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al

, s u ch as Un i f. Su p er. Ct

. R. 6 .3 wh i ch req u i res a s u p eri o r co u rt

t o co n d u ct s u ch a h eari n g , t he m o t h er in t h is cas e n e v e r t h el es s was en t i t l ed t o a

h eari n g

.

2Th e m o t h er ex p res s l y req u es t ed a h eari n g o n h er m ot io n fo r new tri al

, an d t h ere

i s n o t h i n g i n th e reco rd s u g g es t i ng t h a t s h e l at er wai v ed h er ri g h t t o th at h eari n g.

“ [A] b sen t a wai v er, a m o v an t fo r n ew tri al i s en t i t l ed t o a h eari n g on t h e m ot i o n i n t h e

t ri al co u rt b efo re a ru l i n g i s m a d e t h ereo n ; an d

. . . i f t h e m o v an t ’ s ri g h t t o s u ch a

h eari n g h as b een d en i ed

, we m u s t ret u rn t h e cas e t o t h e t ri al co urt fo r a h eari n g an d

d i s p o s i t i on o f t h e m o t i o n b efo re t h e m eri t s o f t h e rem ai n i n g cl ai m s of erro r are

ad d res s ed .” Si d

h u v. Ga

. Ma co n Co n t r a ct o r s & Eq u i p

. , 2 6 3 Ga. A p p

. 1 0 0, 1 0 1 (5 8 7

SE2 d 2 5 2) (2 0 0 3) (ci t at i o n s o m i t t ed ). See al s o W r i g h t

, s u p ra, 24 0 Ga. Ap p

. at 6 8 5;

Ga n t t

, s u p ra, 1 6 2 Ga. Ap p

. at 7 3 8 (1 ). So “ [w] e d o n o t reach [t h e m o t h er’ s ]

en u m erat i o n s ad d res s i ng t h e m eri t s o f t he t ri al co u rt ’ s ru l i ng o n t h e m o t i o n fo r n ew

t ri al

, as t h e i s s u es rai s ed th ereb y m u s t b e as s ert ed i n t h e t ri al co urt o n rem an d .” Tr i o la

v. Tr i o l a , 2 9 2 G a. 8 0 8 , 8 0 9 (7 41 SE2 d 6 50 ) (2 0 1 3) (ci t at i o n an d p u n ct u at i on ).

W e n o te t h at i n ad d res s i ng t ho s e i s s u es o n rem an d

, t h e part i es an d t h e ju v en i l e

co u rt wi l l n eed an accu rat e tran s cri p t o f t h e t erm i n at i o n heari ng , b u t t h e t ran s cri p t in

t h e ap p el l at e reco rd i s i n co m p l et e b ecau s e th e reco rd i n g of t h e h eari n g was i n au d i b l e

at n u m ero u s p oi n t s , i n cl u d i n g d u ri n g t h e p res en t at i o n o f so m e o f t h e ev id en ce. Th e

m o th er req u es ted a t ran s cri p t fro m t h e ju ven i l e co u rt an d arg u ed i n h er ap p l i cat i o n

fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew t h at t h e ju v en i l e co u rt fai l ed t o m ak e av ai lab l e a fu l l y

3t ran s cri b ab l e reco rd i n g p u rs u an t to OCGA § 15 -1 1 -1 7 (c). Al t h ou g h t h e m o t h er h as

n o t en u m erat ed t h is fai l in g as erro r o n ap p eal

, w e n ev ert h el es s t ak e th i s o p p o rt u n i t y

t o s t res s t h e ju v en i l e co u rt ’ s s t at u t o ry d u t y t o reco rd p ro ceed i n g s by “ m ean s cap ab l e

o f a c c u r a t el y cap tu ri n g a fu l l an d co m pl et e reco rd o f a l l wo r d

s s p o k en d u ri n g t h e

p ro ceed in g s ,” O CGA § 1 5

- 1 1 -1 7 (c) (em p h as i s s up p li ed ), an d t h e ju v en i le co urt ’ s

b u rd en “ t o en s u re t h at a co m p l et e reco rd was m ad e.” In t h e In t er es t o f T. M. C.

, 2 0 6

Ga. Ap p

. 5 9 5 (4 26 SE2 d 2 4 7) (1 9 9 2 ) (co n s t ru in g fo rm er OCGA § 15 -1 1-2 8 (b )). Th e

ju v e n il e co u rt s h o u l d co n s i d er t h is d u t y an d bu rd en as s h e co n du ct s fu rt h er

p ro ceed in g s i n t h i s cas e o n rem an d

.

Ju d g men t r ever

s ed a n d ca s e r ema n d

ed wi t h d ir ect i on

. Br a n ch a n d Bet h el

, JJ.,

co n cu r

.

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