# 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 :

A1 7 D0 24 2 . I N RE: ESTATE OF J I MMY DARRYL BANKS.

J i m m y D. Ban k s , Jr., h as fi l ed an ap p l icat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap peal

, s eek i n g

rev i ew o f an o rd er o f t h e M eri wet her Co u nt y Pro b at e Co u rt gran t i n g a m o t i o n to

es t ab l i s h o wn ers h i p o f p ro p ert y i n t h i s es t at e ad m in i s t rat i on p ro ceed i n g

. OCGA

§ 1 5 -9 -1 23 (a) p ro v i d es t h at an y p art y t o a ci v i l cas e i n p ro b at e co u rt sh al l h av e t h e

ri gh t o f ap p eal t o th i s Co u rt or t h e Su p rem e Co u rt

. A “ p ro b at e co u rt ” fo r p u rp o s es

o f t h i s s t at u t e, h o w ev er, i s d efi n ed

, i n rel ev an t p art

, as “ a pro b at e co u rt o f a co u n t y

h av in g a p o p u l at io n o f m o re t h an 9 0 ,0 0 0 p ers o n s acco rd in g t o t h e Un i t e d St at es

d ecen n i al cen s u s o f 2 0 10 or an y fu t u re s u ch cen s u s .” OCGA § 1 5 -9 -1 2 0 (2 ). As t h e

M eri wet h er Co u n t y Pro bat e Co u rt d o es n o t m eet t h i s req u i rem en t

, § 1 5 -9 -1 2 3 (a) i s

n o t ap pl i cab l e t o ap p eal s fro m t h e ru l i ng s an d ju d g m e n t s o f th at co urt

. See 2 0 1 0

Cen su s , OCGA Vo l

. 42 A, 2 01 6 Su p p ., p

. 6 0 (l i s t i n g a 20 1 0 p o p ul at io n o f 2 1 ,9 9 2 fo r

M eri wet h er Co un t y ). In s t ead

, OCGA § 5 -3 -2 (a) v es t s t he s u p eri o r co u r t wi th

ap p el l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er an y p ro bat e co u rt deci s i o n o t h er t h an an o rd er ap p o i n t i n g

a t em p o rary ad m i ni s t rat o r. Ap p el l at e ju ri s di ct i o n i n t h is cas e t h u s i s co n t ro l l ed by

§ 5 -3 -2 (a), an d n o t b y

§ 1 5 -9 -1 2 3 (a).

Th e Geo rg ia Co n s t i t u t i o n p ro v i d es t h at “ [a] n y co u rt s h al l tran s fer t o t h e

ap p ro p ri at e co urt i n t h e s t at e an y ci v i l cas e i n wh i ch i t d et erm i n es th at ju ri s di ct i o n o r

v en ue l i e s e l s ewh ere.” Ga. Co n s t

. o f 1 98 3

, A rt

. V I, Sec. I, Par. V III; Bo s ma v.

Gu n t er , 2 5 8 Ga. 6 6 4

, 6 6 5 (3 7 3 SE2 d 3 6 8 ) (1 9 88 ). Al t h o ug h ap pel l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n in

t h i s act io n l i e s i n t h e s u p eri o r co u rt as a g en eral m at t er, an ap p eal u n der § 5 -3 -2 i s

av ai l ab l e o n ly fro m a fi nal ju d g m en t

. See Dr i ver v. S t at e , 1 9 8 G a

. A p p

. 6 4 3

, 6 4 4

(4 0 2 SE2 d 5 2 4 ) (1 9 9 1 ) (n o r i g h t o f ap p eal t o t h e s u peri o r co u rt l i es fro m an February 02, 2017i n t erl o cu t o ry ru l i n g i n t h e p ro b at e co u rt ); S ea rs v. S t a t e , 19 6 Ga. Ap p

. 20 7

, 2 0 7 (3 9 6

SE2 d 1 ) (1 9 9 0 ) (s am e). T h e p ro b at e co u rt ’ s o rd er here is no t a fi n al j u d gm en t

, as t h e

es t at e ad m in i s t rat i o n p ro ceed i n g rem ai n s pen d in g b efo re t h at co u rt

. Co n s eq u en t l y , b ecau s e t h ere i s n o co u rt i n wh i ch ap p el lat e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er t h e p ro b at e co u rt ’ s o rd er

l i es , t h i s ap p l i cat i on i s h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

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 is 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

. 02/02/2017