THI RD DI VI SI ON

ELLI NGTON, P. J.

, DI LLA RD and M C FA DDEN, 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

Januar y 11, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 5 A2 37 6 . PHILLIPS v . PHILLIPS et al

.

M C F A D D E N , J u d g e.

Ro y al Ph i l li p s fi l ed t hi s ap p eal fro m an o rd er d en y i n g h is O CGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0 (g )

m o ti o n s t o vacat e c e r t ai n o rd ers fo r lack o f n o t i ce. In hi s ap p el lat e b ri ef, h e

en u m erat ed as erro r t h e d en i al o f th e m o t io n s t o v acat e as wel l as en t ry o f a f i n al

ju d g m en t award i n g d am ag es an d at t o rn ey fees ag ai n s t h i m

. Pret erm i t t i n g wh et h er h e

h as ab an d o n ed h is en u m erat i o n ch al l en g i n g th e d en i al o f t h e m o t i on s t o v acat e,

Ph i l l ip s h as n o t sh o w n t ri al co u rt erro r. An d we lack ju ri s di ct i o n t o co n s i d er h i s o t h er

en u m erat i o n s o f erro r. W e t h erefo re affi rm

.

Th e p l ai n t i ffs

, Ph i l l i p s ’ s ad u lt g ran d ch i l d ren

, fi l ed t h i s act i o n to reco v er fu nd s

i n acco u n t s Ph i l li p s h ad es t ab l i s h ed o n t h ei r b eh al f. Becau se o f h i s fai l u re t o p ro v i d e

d i s c o v ery

, t he t ri al co u rt s tru ck Ph i l l i p s ’ s an swer an d en t ered d efau l t

. Th e co u r tco n du ct ed a t ri al o n d am ag es an d en t ered a j u d gm en t ag ai n s t Ph i ll i p s

, award i n g t h e

p l ai n t i ffs m o n et ary d am ag es an d at t o rn ey fees

. 1 Ph i l l i p s

, p ro ceed i n g p ro s e, fi l ed a

d o cu m en t t h at t he t ri al co u r t c o n s i d ered t o b e a m o t i o n t o v acat e t h e ju dg m en t

. He

t h en h ired co u n sel

, wh o f i l e d a m ot i o n fo r n ew t ri al o n h i s beh al f. Th e t ri al co u rt

d en ied t h e m o t i o n s i n s ep arat e ord ers

. Acco rd in g t o Ph i ll i ps

, h e d i d n o t recei v e ei t h er

o rd er an d d i d n o t l earn o f t hem u n t i l aft er t he peri o d fo r fi l i n g a n o ti ce o f ap p eal h ad

ex p ired

. So Ph i l l i p s f

i l ed m o ti o n s t o v acat e t h e ord ers un d er O CGA § 9-1 1 -6 0 (g ),

s eek i n g t h ei r re-en t ry

t o re-s t art t h e t i m e fo r ap p eal

.

Th e t ri al co u rt den i ed t he OCGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0 (g ) m o t i on s to v acat e, an d Ph i l l i p s

fi led an ap p l i cat io n fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew, wh i ch w e g ran t ed u n d er OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5

(j). S e e D o w n s v. C. D. C. Fed er a l Cr ed i t U

n i o n

, 2 24 Ga. Ap p

. 8 6 9 (1 ) (4 8 1 SE2 d

9 0 3 ) (1 9 9 7 ) (ci t at i o n o m it t ed ) (“ M o t i on s to s et as i d e b ro u g ht o n t h e g ro u n ds t h at t h e

co u rt fai l ed to n o t i fy t h e l o s i n g p art y o f it s d eci s i o n are co g n i zab l e as m o t i o n s to

1 Al t h o ug h th e p lai n t i ffs s u ed Ro y al Ph i l l ip s an d t h e Es t at e o f M ax i ne Ph i l l ip s

,

t h e t ri al co u rt en tered ju d g m en t o n l y ag ai n st Ro y al Ph il l ip s

. T hi s was p ro p er b ecau s e

“ a n e s t a t e i s n o t a l eg al en t i t y cap ab l e o f bei n g s u ed .” Y a r b r o u g h v. Es t a t e o

f

Y a r b r o u g h

, 1 7 3 Ga. Ap p

. 3 86 n .1 (3 2 6 SE2 d 5 1 7 ) (1 9 8 5 ). Co m p are R o b i n s o n v

. Es t a t e of Jes t er

, 3 3 3 Ga. Ap p

. 4 1

, 4 4 ( 7 7 5 S E2 d 5 69 ) (2 0 15 ) (p l ai n t i ffs p ro p erl y

am en d ed co m

p l ai nt t o as s ert cl ai m s ag ai n st ad m i n i s t rat o r o f es t at e).

2co rrect a cl eri cal erro r p u rs uan t t o O CGA § 9 -1 1-6 0 (g ) an d are p ro p erl y t h e s u b ject

o f a d i rect ap p eal .”). Ph il l i p s fi l ed a t i m el y n o t i ce o f ap p eal fro m o u r o rd er.

Pr e te rm i t t i n g wh et h er Ph i l l i p s ab an d o n ed h i s en u m erat i on o f erro r ch al l en g i n g

t h e d en ial o f hi s O CGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0 (g ) m o t i o n s by fai l i n g t o s u p p o rt i t wi t h arg u m en t

an d ci tat i o n o f au t h o ri t y

, we co n c l u d e t h at t he en u m erat i o n l ack s m eri t

. Ph i l l i p s

arg u es th at t h e t r i al co u rt erred b y d en y i n g t he m o t io n s b ecau s e h e “ o ffered

u n d i s p u t ed ev i d e n c e t h at [h is ] co u n sel had n o t recei v ed t he [o rd ers den y i n g h i s

m o ti o n t o v acat e t h e ju d g m en t an d h is m o t io n fo r n e w t r i al ] wh en th ey were

o ri g i nal ly s en t .” Ho wev er, “ [i ] f t h e t ri al co urt h as in fact g i v en n o ti ce, t h en a m o t i o n

t o s et as id e m ay be p ro perl y d en i ed wh et h er o r n o t t h e l o s i n g p a r t y a ct u al l y r ecei ved

t h e n o t i ce .” W

ri g ht v. Y o u n g

, 2 9 7 Ga. 68 3

, 68 4 n

. 3 (2 0 1 5 ) (em p h as i s s u p p l i ed ). In

an y ev en t

, here t h e t ri al co u rt fo u n d

, b as ed o n t h e co u rt ’ s o wn reco rd s

, t h at th e co u rt

h ad fax ed t h e o rd ers t o Ph i ll i p s ’ s co u n sel at t he co rrect n u m ber an d t h at t h e fax h ad

b een recei v ed . Ph i l l i p s h as n o t s h own erro r.

An d s i n ce Ph i l l i p s d id n o t t i m el y fi l e an ap peal fro m t h e d en i al o f h i s p ro s e

m o ti o n

, fro m t h e m ot io n fo r n ew t ri al

, o r fro m t h e fi nal ju d g m en t

, we l ack j u ri s d i ct i o n

t o co n s i d e r h i s rem ai n i n g en u m erat i o n s

, al l of wh i ch ch al l en g e t h e fi nal ju d g m en t

.

“ [T] h e o n l y n o t i ce o f ap p eal b efo re u s was fi l ed m o re t h an 3 0 d ay s aft er t h e en t ry o f

3t h e [fi n al ju d g m en t ]

. Th u s

, we h av e n o ju ri s di ct i o n t o c o n si d er t he m eri t s o f t h at

[ju d gm en t ] .” S

ea To w/ Sea S p i l l o f S a va n n a h v. Ph i l l i

p s , 2 4 7 Ga. Ap p. 6 1 3, 6 1 5 (3 )

(5 4 5 SE2 d 3 4 ) (2 0 0 1 ) (ci t at i on o m i t ted ).

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . El l i n g t o n , P. J., a n d Di ll a r d , J., co n cu r

.

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