SECOND DI VI SI ON
M I LLER, P. J.

, M ERCI ER, J.

, and SENI OR A PPELLA TE JUDGE PHI PPS.

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.

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M ar ch 1, 2021



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A2 0 A1 99 5 . NORM AN v . THE STATE.

P H I P P S , Sen i o r Ap p el l at e J u d g e.

In J u n e 2 0 1 7, a ju ry c o n v i ct ed Lei la No rm an o f leav i n g t h e s cen e o f an

acci den t

. Fo l l o wi n g t he d en ial o f h er m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

, s h e fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal

.

T h e s o l e i s s u e on ap p eal i s wh et h er t h e t ri al co u rt erred i n d i s m i s s i n g No rm an ’s

n o t i ce o f ap p eal b ecau s e s h e fai l ed t o t i m el y fi le a tran s cri p t o f t h e m o t i o n f o r n ew

t ri al h eari n g p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 5 -6 -4 2

. Fi n d i n g n o erro r, we affi rm

.

“ A t ri al co u rt ’ s ru l i n g o n wh et h er an ap p eal i s su b je c t t o d i s m is sal u n d er

OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (c) wi l l b e rev ers ed o n l y fo r an ab u s e o f d i s cret i o n .” No r t h ea s t Ga

.

Med

. Cen t er

, In c. v. Hea l t h S

o u t h Reh a b i l i t a t i on H

o s p

. o f F o r s yt h Co un t y, LLC.

, 3 4 7

Ga. Ap p . 8 5 2 , 8 5 7 (8 2 1 SE2 d 6 8 ) (2 0 1 8 ).Th e reco rd s h o ws t h at in A u g u s t 2 01 8

, No rm an ’ s co u n s el fi l ed a n o t i ce o f

ap p eal

, wh i ch s t at ed t h a t “ [t ] h e Cl erk wi ll t ran s m i t t o t h e Cl erk o f th e Co u rt o f

Ap p eal s t h e en t i re reco rd o f t h e cas e, an d n o t o m i t a n y p o rt i o n o f t h e reco rd an d

t ran s cri p t

, i n cl u d i ng t h e t ran s cri p t o f t h e h eari n g on t h e am en d ed m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al

i n th i s cas e.” Co un s el

, h o wev er, d i d n ot m ak e an y req ues t fo r t he t ran s cri p t d i rect l y

wi t h th e co u rt rep o rt er. Ov e r a y ear l at er, i n Sep tem ber 2 0 19

, t h e tri al co u rt s u a

s p o n te s ch ed u l ed a h eari n g on Oct o ber 2 4, 2 0 1 9

, t o co ns i d e r wh e t h er t he ap p eal

s h o u ld b e d i s m i s s ed b ecau s e a t ran s cri p t o f t h e m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al h eari n g h ad n ot

b een prep ared o r fi l ed

.

Aft er t h e h eari n g , t h e t ri al co u rt en tered an o rd er d i s m i s s in g No rm an ’ s ap p eal

.

Th e t ri al co u rt fo u n d t h at t h e d el ay i n t h e fi li n g o f t h e h eari n g t ran s cri p t was cau s ed

b y No rm an ’s co u n s el an d t h at t h e del ay was p ri m a faci e u n reas o n ab l e an d

i n ex cu s ab l e. Th is ap p eal fo l l o wed

.

No rm an co n ten d s t h at t h e t ri al co urt ab u s ed i ts d is cret i o n i n d i s m is s i n g h er

ap p eal . W e d i s ag ree.

OCGA § 5 -6 -4 2 p ro v i des t hat a t ran s cri p t m u s t b e fi led wi t h i n 3 0

d ay s aft er t h e fi l i n g of a n o t i ce o f ap p eal u n les s an ex t en s i o n o f t i m e i s

req u es t ed as p ro v i d ed b y OCGA § 5 -6 -3 9. T h e t r i a l co u rt m ay , aft er

n o t i ce an d h eari n g , o rd er an ap peal d i s m is sed fo r a part y ’ s fai l u re to fi l e

2a t ran s cri p t o n t i m e o nl y i f t h e d el ay w as (1 ) u n reas o n ab l e, (2 )

i n ex cu s ab l e, an d (3 ) cau s ed b y s u ch p art y . OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8

.

Da l to n v. Vo , 2 2 4 Ga. Ap p . 3 8 2 , 3 8 2 (4 80 SE2 d 3 7 7 ) (1 9 9 7 ). “ A d el ay i n ex ces s o f

3 0 day s i s p ri m a faci e u n reas o n ab l e an d i n ex cu s ab l e, b ut t h i s p res u m p t i o n i s s u b

ject

t o reb u t t a l i f t h e p art y co m es fo rward wi t h ev i d en ce t o s h o w t h at t h e d el ay was

n ei t h er u n reas o n ab le n o r i n ex cu s ab l e.” Kel l y v

. D a w s o n Co u n t

y , 2 8 2 Ga. 1 8 9

, 1 8 9

(6 4 6 SE2 d 5 3 ) (2 0 0 7 ).

Here, t h e t ri al co u rt co rrect ly n o t ed t h at

, as t h e ap p el l an t, N o rm an b o re t h e

res p o n s i b i li t y of t i m el y fi li ng t h e t ran s cri p t. See Kel l y , 2 8 2 Ga. at 18 9

. By

t h e t i m e

t h e t ri al co u rt h el d a h eari n g o n t h i s m at t er i n Oct ob er 2 0 1 9

, o v er a y ear h ad el ap s ed

wi t h o u t t h e t ran s cri p t h av i n g been fi l ed

. At t h e h eari n g, co u n sel p ro v i d ed n o ev i d en ce

t o es t ab l i s h t h at t h e d el ay was ju s t ifi ed

. 1 Co u n s el m ai n t ai n ed t h at b ecau s e h e s t at ed

i n th e n o t i ce o f ap p eal t h at t he t ran s cri p t was t o b e i n cl u d ed i n t h e reco rd

, h e as s u m ed

t h at t h e t ri al co u rt o r t h e cl erk ’ s o ffi ce wo u ld h av e n o t i f i ed t h e co u rt rep o rt er. He

fu rt her arg ued t h at h e w as no t at fau l t b ecau s e h e n ev er t o l d t h e co urt rep o rt er n o t to

1 On Feb ru ary 2 8

, 2 0 2 0

, co u n sel fi l ed a m ot i o n i n t h e t ri al co urt t o o b t ai n t h e
t ran s cri p t s fo r t h e m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al h eari n g as wel l as t h e a p p e a l d i s m i s s al
h eari n g

. Th os e t ran s cri pt s were p ro du ce d a n d i ncl u d ed in t h e ap p el lat e reco rd

t ran s m i t t ed t o t h i s Co urt

.

3p rep are t h e t ran s cri p t

. W h i l e co u n s e l i s n ot res p o n s ib l e fo r an y d el ay s cau s ed b y a

co u rt rep o rt er o r t h e cl erk ’ s o ffi ce, i t was h i s d u t y t o p ro p erl y req ues t t h e t ran s cri pt

i n a t i m el y m an n er. See No r t hea s t Ga

. Med

. Cen t er , 3 4 7 Ga. Ap p. at 8 5 6

. Co m p are

Bo u ld en v. Fo wl er , 2 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. 2 3 7

, 2 3 8 (4 1 4 SE2 d 2 6 3 ) (1 9 91 ) (t ri al co u rt ab u s ed

i t s d i s c r e t i o n i n di s m is s i n g ap p eal w here ev i d en ce s h owed t h at d el ay “ was

at t ri b u t ab l e to t h e ‘ b ack l o g ’ of t h e co u rt rep o rt er, rat h er t h an t o an y act o r o m i s s i o n

o n t h e p art o f t h e ap p el l an t s”).

M o reo v er, co u n s el co n ced es th at b et ween t h e fi l i n g o f t h e n o t i ce o f ap p eal an d

t h e d is m i s s al h eari n g o v er a y ear l at er, h e d i d no t co m m u n i c a t e wi t h th e co u rt

rep o rt er, cl erk ’ s o ffi ce, t ri al co u rt

, o r t h e St at e reg ard i n g t h e s t at u s o f t h e cas e. In fact

,

h e s t at ed at t h e h eari n g t h at t h e cl erk o r t h e St at e co u l d h av e n ot i fi ed t h e co u rt

rep o rt er t h at a t ran s cri p t h ad n ot b een fi l ed

, b u t t h is arg u m en t i g n o res wel l -s et t l ed l aw

t h at i t i s t h e ap p el l an t ’ s d u t y t o o rd er th e t ran s cri p t an d m o n it o r t h e pro g res s o f i t s

p rep arat i o n

. See Newt o n v. Fr eema n , 3 5 3 Ga. A p p

. 7 0 4

, 70 9 (1 ) n

. 7 (8 3 9 SE2 d 2 0 3 )

(2 0 2 0) (“ Th e d u t y t o o rd er t h e t ran s cri p t an d t o m o ni t or t i m el y th e pro g res s o f t h e

rep o rt er ’s o ffi ce i n t ran s cri p t p rep arat i o n i s v es t ed u p on t h e ap p ro p ri at e ap p eal i n g

p art y .”) (ci t at i on an d p u nct u at i o n o m i t t ed ).

4In an effo rt t o ci rcu m v en t h er b u rd e n , N o r m an arg u es th at “ b ecau s e [s h e] i s

i n d i g en t

, t h e u l t im at e res p o n s i b i l i t y fo r th e p ro du ct i o n o f t h e t ran s cri p t was v es t ed in

t h e t ri al co u rt [.] ” Ho wev er, t h e st at u t e d oes no t d i s t i n g u i s h b et ween i n d i g en t an d n o n

i n d i g en t d efen d an t s

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -4 2 (“ a pp el l a n t sh al l cau s e t h e t ran s cri p t t o b e

p r e p a r ed an d fi led [.] ”) (em p h as i s s u p p l ied ). Th e fact t h at No rm an is i n d i g en t

, an d

t h erefo re en t i t l ed t o a t ran s cri p t at p u b l i c ex p en s e, Mi t ch el l v. S t a t e , 2 8 0 Ga. 8 0 2

, 8 0 2

(1 ) (6 3 3 SE2 d 5 3 9 ) (2 0 0 6 ), d o es n o t rel iev e h er o f t h e o b l ig at i o n t o pro p erl y req u es t

t h e t ran s cri p t an d cau s e i t t o b e fi l ed

.

Becau s e No rm an ’ s co u n s el fai l ed t o p ro perl y req u es t t h e t ran s cri p t

, an d h as

co n ced ed t h at h e d i d n o t co m m u n i cat e ab o u t t h e s t at u s o f t h e cas e wi t h th e t ri al co u rt

,

t h e St at e, t h e cl erk ’ s o ffi ce, o r t h e co urt rep o rt er fo r m o re t h an a y ear aft er fi l i n g a

n o t i ce o f ap p eal

, we fi nd n o ab u s e o f d i s cret io n i n t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s d i s m is s al

.

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Mi l l er

, P. J., a n d

Mer ci er , J., co n cu r

.

5