FI RST DI VI SI ON
BA RNES, P. J.

, M C M I LLI A N and M ERCI ER, 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.

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Decem ber 27, 2017



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 7 A2 00 0 . IN THE INTEREST OF M . I., a ch i l d

.

B A R N E S
, Pres i d i n g J ud g e.

On Decem

ber 19

, 2 0 1 6, t h e DeKal b C o u nt y Dep art m en t o f Fam i l y an d

Ch i ld ren Serv i ces (“ DFCS”) fi l ed a d ep en den cy p et i t i o n al l eg i n g t h at t h e i n fan t ch i ld

M

. I. was d ep en d en t an d need ed t o b e t a k e n i n t o p ro t ect i v e cu s t o d y b ecau s e o f

a l l e g ed ab u se h e s u ffered wh i l e i n h i s p aren t s ’ care. Fo l l o w in g a p rel i m i n ar y

p ro t ect i v e h eari n g , t h e ju v en i le co u rt fo u nd th at t h e re was n o t pro b ab le cau s e to

b el i ev e t h e ch i l d was d ep en d en t

. M

. I., t h ro u g h h i s ch il d ad v o cat e at t o rn ey an d

g u ard i an ad l i t em , fi l ed a m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

. A l t ho u g h M

. I. req u es t ed a h eari n g o n

t h e m o t i o n , t h e co u rt d en ied t h e m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al wi t h ou t co n d u ct in g a h eari n g.

M

. I. ap p eal s , arg u i n g t h at t h e co u rt erred i n fai l in g t o h o l d a h eari n g

. 1 W e ag ree an d

t h erefo re v acat 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 pro ceed i n gs co n s i s t en t

wi t h t h i s o p i n i o n

.

1 DFCS h as fi l ed a b ri ef i n s u p p o rt o f M . I.’ s ap p eal

.“ A m o v an t fo r a n ew t ri al i s en t i t led t o a h eari n g on hi s o r h er m o ti o n

. T h i s

ri gh t i s g ro u n d ed bo t h in O CGA § 5 -5 -4 0

. . . an d i n co n s t i t u ti o n al req u i rem en t s fo r

p ro ced ural d u e p ro ces s .” 2 (Ci t at i o n s an d p u n ct u at i o n o m it t e d

. ) In t h e In t er es t o f A.

F.

, Cas e No

. A1 7A1 1 7 1

, 2 0 1 7 W L 4 8 3 71 4 6

, at * 1 (Ga. Ct

. A pp ., Oct

. 2 6

, 20 1 7 ). See

Peyt o n v. Peyt o n , 2 3 6 Ga. 11 9

, 1 2 0 (1 ), (2 ) (2 23 SE2 d 9 6 ) (1 9 7 6) ( “ i n co n s o n an ce

wi t h co n s t i t u t i o n al req u i rem en ts o f p ro ced u ral d u e p ro ces s , ” a m o van t fo r a n ew t ri al

i s en t i t led t o a h eari n g o n h i s o r h er m ot i o n , bu t m ay wai v e o r a b a n d o n t h at ri g ht );

S h o ckl ey v. S ta t e , 2 3 0 G a. 8 6 9 (1 9 9 SE2 d 7 9 1 ) (1 9 7 3 ) (s am e). See al s o OCGA § 1 5

-

1 1 -1 45 (f) (3 ) (at a p r e l i m i n ary p ro t ect i v e h eari ng , t h e p art ies ’ d u e pro ces s ri g h t s

i n cl u d e “ t h e ri g h t to a t r i a l by t h e co u rt o n t h e al l eg at i o n s i n t h e co m p l ai n t o r

p et i t i o n ”). Un d er Un i fo rm Su p eri o r Co u rt Ru l e 6

. 3

, a t ri al co u rt i s req u i red t o co n d u ct

a h eari n g o n a m o t i o n fo r n ew t r i a l

. A l t h o u g h t h ere i s no t a s p eci fi c u ni fo rm ru l e

req u i ri n g a ju v en i l e co u rt t o co n d u ct a h eari n g o n a m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al , t h i s Co u rt

recen t l y deci d ed t h at a m ot h er wh o ch al l en g ed t h e effect i v en es s o f t ri al co u n s el i n h er

2 OCGA § 5 -5 -4 0, wh i ch es t ab l i s h es p ro ced u res fo r m o t io n s fo r n ew t ri al

,

m a k es s ev eral referen ces t o t h e h eari n g on th e m o t i o n

. O CGA § 5 -5 -1 (a) g i v e s ju v en i l e co u rt s t he p o wer to g ran t n ew t ri al s , an d OCGA § 5 -5 -4 4 p ro v i d es t h at “ [i ] n al l m o t i o ns fo r a n ew t ri al t h e o p p o s i t e p art y s h al l b e s erv ed wi t h a co p y o f t h e ru l e

n i s i u n l es s s u ch co p y

i s wai v ed .”

2m o ti o n fo r n ew tri al i n a p aren t al ri g h t s term i n at i on p ro ceed i n g i n j u v en i l e co u rt was

en t i t l ed t o a h eari n g o n h er m o t i o n

. In t h e In t er es t o f A. F., 2 0 1 7 W L 4 8 3 7 14 6

, at * 1.

Here, we l i k ewi se co n cl u d e t h at t h e ju v en i l e co u rt was req u i red t o co n d u ct a

h eari n g

. Th e s tat u t o ry an d co n s t i t u t i o n al b as es o f a m o v an t’ s en t i tl em en t to a h eari n g

o n h i s o r h er m ot i o n fo r n ew t ri al are wel l -es tab l i s h ed

, an d i n t h e pres en t cas e, M

. I.’ s

m o ti o n at t ack ed t he ju v en i l e co u rt ’ s ev i den ti ary fi n d i n g s, wh i ch is a p ro per cl ai m o f

erro r i n su ch a m o ti o n

. See Ku r i a t n yk v. Ku r ia t n

yk

, 2 86 Ga. 58 9

, 5 9 1 (2 ) (6 9 0 SE2 d

3 9 7 ) (2 0 1 0 ) ( “ A m o t i o n fo r a n ew t ri al i s a p ro per m ean s o f s eek i n g a ret ri al o r

r e e x a m i n at i o n , i n t h e s am e co u rt

, o f an is s u e o f fact

, o r o f s o m e part or p o r t i o n

t h ereo f, aft er d eci s io n b y a ju ry o r a d eci s i on b y t h e co u rt t h ereo n .”) (ci t at i o n a n d

p u n ct u at i o n om i t t ed ); co m p are In t h e In t er es t o

f M. O.

, 2 3 3 Ga. Ap p

. 1 2 5

, 1 2 8 (2 ) (a)

(5 0 3 SE2 d 3 6 2 ) (1 99 8 ) (affi rm i n g ju v en i l e co urt ’ s d ep ri v at i o n o rd er, ev en t h o u g h

c o u rt d i d n o t h o l d h eari n g o n fat h er’ s m o ti o n fo r new t ri al

, wh ere o n ap p eal fat h er

fai l ed t o s t at e p ro p er g ro u nd s fo r n ew t ri al ).

In ad d i t i o n , M

. I. req ues ted a h eari n g on t h e m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

, an d t h ere i s

n o t h i n g i n th e reco rd s u gg es t in g M

. I. l at er wai ved t h e ri g h t to t hat h eari n g. “ Ab s en t

a w ai v er, a m o v an t fo r n ew t ri al i s en t i t l ed t o a h eari ng o n t h e m o t i o n i n t h e t ri al co u rt

b efo re a ru li n g i s m ad e t hereo n ; an d i f t h e m o v an t’ s ri gh t t o s u ch a h eari n g h as b een

3d en ied

, we m u s t ret u rn t he cas e t o t h e t ri al co u rt fo r a h eari n g an d d i s p o s i t i o n o f t h e

m o ti 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 o f erro r are ad d res s ed .” (Ci t at i on s

an d p u n ct u at i o n o m i t ted .) In t h e In t er es t o f A. F

, 2 0 1 7 W L 4 8 3 71 4 6

, at * 1

. See S i d h u

v. G a

. 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 00 (5 8 7 SE2 d 2 5 2 ) (2 0 0 3 )

(v acat i ng d en i al o f m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al an d rem an d i n g fo r h eari n g o n m o t i o n , wh ere

t ri al co urt fai l ed to h o l d h eari n g ); W r i gh t v. Ba r n es , 24 0 G a. Ap p

. 6 8 4, 6 8 4 (5 2 4

S E2 d 7 5 8 ) (1 9 9 9 ) (s am e). Acco rd i n g ly

, we d o no t reach M

. I.’ s en um erat i o n s

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

, as t h e

i s su es rai s ed t h ereb y m

u s t b e as s ert ed i n t h e ju v en il e co u rt o n rem an d

. See In t h e

In t er es t o f A. F., 2 0 17 W L 4 8 3 7 1 4 6 , at * 1

.

Fi n al l y , we are u n p ers u ad ed b y M

. I.’ s m o t her’ s arg u m en t t h a t r e m an d fo r a

h eari n g o n t h e m o t i o n fo r n ew t r i a l i s u n w arran ted becau s e th e j u v en i l e co u rt m u s t

m ak e a fi n d i n g o f p r es en t d ep en d en cy i n ord er t o rem o v e t h e ch i l d fro m t h e h o m e.

See In t he In ter es t of T. V.

, 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. 12 4

, 12 7 (1 ) (6 90 SE2 d 4 57 ) ( 2 0 1 0 ) (an

o rd er t em p o rari l y t ran s ferri ng cu s t o d y o f a ch i l d bas ed o n al leg ed d ep en den cy m u s t

b e gro un d e d u p o n a f

i n d i n g t h at t h e ch i l d i s at t he p res en t ti m e a d ep en den t ch i l d ).

J u v en i l e co u rt s are p erm i tt ed t o m ak e fi n d i n g s of p res en t d ep en den cy b as ed o n p as t

ab u se. See In t h e In t er es t of K. J.

, 2 6 8 Ga. A p p

. 8 4 3

, 84 4 -8 4 5 (1 ) (a) (6 0 2 SE2 d 8 6 1 )

4(2 0 0 4) (m o t h er’ s b eat i n g o f ch i ld s u p p o rt ed fi nd i n g t h at ch i l d w as d ep ri v ed

, al t h o u g h

b eat i ng o ccu rred fi ve m o n t h s p ri o r t o h eari n g o n dep ri v at i o n p et i ti o n). M o reo v er, i f

we were to accep t t he m o t h er’ s arg u m en t

, we wo u l d b e u n ab l e t o rem an d fo r fu rt h er

p ro ceed in g s an d re-ex am i n at i on o f i s s u es i n m a n y ap p eal s i n v o l vi n g d ep en d en cy

o rd ers

.

Ju d g men t va ca t ed a n d ca s e r ema nd ed wi t h d i r ect i o n

. McMi l l i an a n d M er ci er
,

JJ., co n cu r

.

5