# 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 8 A1 07 5 . EDDI E J EROME STREETER et a l. v

. CI TY OF ALBANY.

Ed d i e J ero m e St reet er an d Al l en Ed ward Al fo rd fi l ed s u it ag ai n s t t h e Ci t y o f

Al b an y (“ t h e Ci t y ”) an d t wo u n i d en t i fi ed Ci t y l aw-en fo rcem en t o ffi cers , “ J oh n Do e”

an d “ M ary Ro e,” as s e rt i n g , i n 1 8 co u n t s , cl ai m s fo r n eg l i g en t h i ri ng , t rai n i n g,

s u p erv i s i o n , an d ret en t i on ; n eg l i g e n t e n tru s t m en t ; res p o n d eat su p eri o r; ex ces s i v e

fo rce; an d d ep ri v at io n o f p ro p ert y

. Th e Ci t y fi l ed a m o t i o n t o d is m i s s t h e cl ai m s

a g a i n s t i t fo r neg l i g en t h i ri n g , t rai n i n g, s u p erv i s i o n an d ret en ti o n , n eg l i g en t

en t ru s t m en t

, an d res p o n d eat s u p eri o r fo r l ack o f s ub ject m at t er ju ri s d i ct i o n

. Th e Ci t y

a l s o fi l ed a s ep arat e m ot i o n t o d i s m i s s th e cl ai m s ag ai n s t i t fo r ex ces si v e f o r c e a n d

d ep ri v at i o n o f p ro p ert y fo r fai l u re t o s t at e a cl ai m u p on wh i ch rel i ef co u l d b e g ran t ed

. On Oct o ber 1 0 , 2 0 1 7

, th e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed b o th t h e Ci t y ’ s m o t i on s an d d i s m i s s ed

t h e fi rs t t e n c o u n t s o f t h e co m pl ai n t. Th e o rd er was s i len t as t o t h e rem ai n i n g ei g ht

co u nt s

. St reet er an d Al fo rd t h en fi l ed t h e i n st an t d i r ect ap p eal

. W e, h o wev er, l ack
ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

“ In a cas e in v o l v i n g m

u l t i p l e p art i es o r m

ul t i p l e cl ai m s , a d eci si o n ad ju d i cat i n g

fewer t han al l t h e cl ai m s o r t h e ri g h t s an d l iab i l i t i es o f les s t h an al l t h e part i es i s n ot

a fi n al j u d g m en t .” Jo h n so n v. Ho s p

. Co r p

. o f Amer i ca , 1 9 2 G a. Ap p

. 6 28 , 6 2 9 (3 8 5

SE2 d 7 3 1 ) (1 9 8 9) (p u n ct u at i on o m i t t ed ). Al t h o u g h t he tri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed St reet er

an d Al fo r d ’s cl ai m s ag ai n st t h e Ci t y , t h ei r cl ai m s ag ai n s t th e u n i d en t i fi ed l awen fo rcem en t o ffi cers h av e n o t b een ad ju d i cat ed

. 1 “ In s u ch ci rcu m s t an ces , t h ere m u s t

1 Th e o ffi cers rem ai n , at t h i s t i m e, u n i den t i fi ed

. Bu t i f an d wh en t h e p l ai n t i ffs
d i s co v er t h e i r id en t i t i es , u n d er OCGA § 9 -1 1 -1 5 (c), t hey m ay “ am en d t h e o ri g i n al August 09, 2018b e an ex pres s d et erm i n at i o n u n d er OCGA § 9 -1 1 -5 4 (b ) o r t h ere m us t be co m

p l i an ce

wi t h t h e i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal req u irem en ts o f OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ). W h ere n ei t h er o f

t h es e co d e s ect i o n s [i s ] fo l l o wed

, t h e ap p eal i s p rem at u re an d m us t b e d i s m i s s ed .” Id

. (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ).

Th e tri al co u rt ’ s o rd er i n t h i s cas e d i d no t d i rect t h e en t ry o f ju d g m en t p u rs u an t

t o OCGA § 9 -1 1 -5 4 (b ). Th erefo re, t h e ch al l en g ed ord er i s no t a fi n al o rd er, an d i t i s

ap p eal ab l e o n l y th ro u g h t h e i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res s et fo rt h i n OCGA § 5 -6

-
3 4 (b ). Sh oen t h a l v. S

h o en t ha l

, 3 3 3 Ga. Ap p

. 7 2 9

, 73 0 (7 7 6 SE2 d 6 6 3 ) (2 0 1 5 );

Jo h ns o n , 1 9 2 G a

. A p p. at 6 29

. St reet er an d Al fo rd ’ s fai l u re to fo l lo w t he p ro p er

ap p el l at e p ro ced u re d ep ri v es u s o f ju ri s d i ct i o n t o co n s i d er t h i s d i rect ap p eal

, wh i ch

i s h ereb y DISM ISSED.

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

.

p l ead i n g s s o as t o ch an g e t h e p art y ag ai n s t wh o m a cl ai m i s as s ert ed

. ” R ob i n s o n v. Es t a t e o f Jes t er , 3 3 3 G a. Ap p

. 41

, 4 3 (7 7 5 SE2 d 5 6 9 ) (2 0 1 5 ) (p u n ct uat i on o m i t t ed ).

M o reo v er, fo r p u rp o ses o f r e n e wi n g a s u i t u n der OCGA § 9 -2 -6 1

, an “ o ri g i n al s u i t i s v o i d i f s erv i ce was n ev er p erfect ed

, s in ce t h e fi l i n g o f a co m p lai n t wi t h o ut

p erfect in g s erv i ce d o es n o t co n s t i t u te a p en di n g s u i t . . . . Ho wev er, u n les s an d u n t i l

t h e tri al co urt en t ers an o rd er d is m i s s i n g a v al id act i o n , i t is m erel y v oi d ab le an d n ot

v o i d

. ” H o b b s v. Ar t h u r , 2 6 4 Ga. 3 5 9

, 3 6 0 (4 4 4 SE2 d 3 2 2 ) (1 99 4 ); s ee Mi l b u r n v

. Na t io n wi d

e In s. Co

. , 2 2 8 G a. Ap p

. 3 9 8

, 4 0 0 (1 ) (a) (4 9 1 SE2 d 84 8 ) (1 9 97 ) ( n o t i n g

t h at p l ai n t iff’ s “ J o hn D o e” act i o n wi t h s erv i ce o n h i s u n i n s u r ed m o t o ri s t carri er

“ co n s t i t u t ed a v al id

, p en d i n g act i o n o n i ts face, an d un l es s an d u nt i l t h e t ri al co u rt

e n t e r s an o rd er d i s m i s si n g a v al i d act i o n, i t i s m erel y v oi d ab l e an d n ot v o i d ”) (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). Here, al t h o u g h t h e offi cers h av e n o t b een serv ed

, s erv i ce was

p erfect ed o n th e Ci ty

. Acco rd i n g l y , t h e s u i t is no t v oi d

. An d t h e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed

o n l y t he co u n t s ag ai n s t t h e Ci t y ; i t d i d n ot d i s m is s t h e en t i re act i o n. 08/09/2018