# 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 4 D0 12 2

. I N THE I NTEREST OF E. M. F

. et a l., CHI LDREN (GRANDMOTHER).

Th i s ap p eal ari ses fro m t h e d ep en den cy act i o n reg ard i n g m i no r ch i l d E. M

. F.

an d h er y o u n g er s i b l i n g s

. On J u l y 2 5 , 2 0 2 3 , t h e ju v en i l e co u rt en t ered an o rd er t h at

t erm i n at ed t h e p aren t al ri g h t s o f E. M

. F’ s s t ep -fat her t o t h e y o u n ger ch i l d ren

. 1 In t h e

s am e o rd er, t h e ju ven i l e co u rt fo u n d t h at th e m at ern al g r a n d m o t h er of al l o f t h e

ch i l d ren , Dawn Co o l ey , wh o s o u g h t t o i n t erv en e i n t h e d ep en d en cy act io n , was n ot

an ap p ro p ri at e p lacem en t an d den i ed her req ues t fo r cu s t o d y an d v i si t at i o n

. In s t ead

,

t h e ju v en i l e co u rt co n t i nu ed p lacem en t of t he ch i l d ren wi t h t he Dep art m en t o f Fam i l y

an d Ch i l d ren Serv i ces (“ D FCS”) t o faci l i t at e t he i r a d o p ti o ns

. Co o l ey fi l ed an

ap p li cat io n fo r d is cret i on ary ap p e a l i n t h e Su p rem e Co u rt of Geo rg i a, wh i ch

t ran s ferred t h e cas e t o t h is Co u rt

. See Cas es No

. S2 4 D0 1 1 3 (Oct

. 5, 2 0 2 3 ); S2 4 T0 0 5 2

(Au g. 2 2 , 2 0 2 3) (g ran ti n g Co o l ey an ex t en s i o n o f t im e t o fi l e h er ap p l i cat i o n ).

Ap p eal s fro m o rd ers t e rm i n at i n g p aren t al ri g h t s m us t n orm al l y p ro ceed by

d i s cret i o n ary ap p li cat i o n

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a) (1 2 ). Bu t Co ol e y d o es n ot

ch al l en g e t h e t erm in at i o n o f t h e fat h er’ s ri gh t s

. Rat h er, s h e ch al l en g es t h e d en i al o f

h er req u es t fo r cu s t o d y an d v i s i t at i o n an d t h e award o f cu s to d y t o DFCS. “ An o rd er

wi t h i n a [d ep en d en cy ] p ro ceed i n g d eci d i ng t em p o rary cu s t o d y o f th e ch i l d i s a ‘ fi n al

o rd er,’ wi t h in t h e m ean i n g o f OCGA § 5 -6

- 3 4 ( a ) ( 1 ), fro m wh i ch a d i rect ap p eal

l i es .” In t h e In t er es t o

f A. T.

, 3 09 Ga. Ap p

. 8 2 2

, 8 2 4 (7 11 SE2 d 38 2 ) (2 0 1 1 ) (ci t at i o n

1 Th e m o t h er’ s paren t al ri g h t s t o al l o f t h e ch i l d re n w e r e t erm i n at ed i n M ay 2 0 2 3 , an d s h e i s n o t a p art y t o t h i s ap p eal

. November 07, 2023a n d pu n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ); V i n es v. V i n es , 2 9 2 Ga. 5 50

, 5 5 1 (2 ) (7 3 9 SE2 d 3 7 4 )

(2 0 1 3) (v i s i t at i o n ri g h t s are a p art o f cu s t o d y ). See al s o Vo yl es v. Vo yl es , 3 0 1 Ga. 4 4,

4 7 (7 9 9 SE2 d 16 0 ) (2 0 1 7 ) (“ t h e p ro p er ap p el l at e p ro ced u re t o em p l o y dep en d s u p o n

t h e i s su e i n v o l v ed in t h e ap p eal ”). Acco rd i n g l y , t h e ord er Co o l ey s eek s t o ap p eal i s

d i rect l y ap p eal ab l e.

Th i s Co u rt wi l l g ran t an o t h erwi s e t i m el y d i scret i o n ary ap p l i cat i o n i f t h e l o wer

co u rt ’ s o rd er i s s u b

ject to d i rect ap p eal

. See OCGA § 5

- 6

- 3 5 (j). Acco rd i n g l y , t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s h ereb y GRANTE D

. Co o l ey s h al l h av e t en d ay s fro m t h e d at e o f t h i s

o rd er t o fi le a n o t i ce of ap p eal wi t h t h e t ri al co u rt

. Th e cl erk o f t h e t r i a l co u rt i s

DIRECTED t o i ncl u d e a co p y o f t h i s o rd er i n t h e reco rd t ran s m i t t ed t o t h e Co u rt o f

Ap p eal s.

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

. 11/07/2023