# 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 2 2 0

. VI DA THOMPSON v. W I LMI NGTON TRUST, N.A., AS
SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO CI TI BANK, N.A., et a l.

In t h i s d i s p o s s es s o ry act i o n , Vi d a Th om p s o n , p ro ceed i n g p ro s e , s e e k s

d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal fro m a wri t o f p o s ses s i o n en t ered ag ai n s t h er. Sh e h as i n cl u d ed

wi t h h er ap p l i cat io n a m ag i st rat e co u rt ju d g m en t fi l ed o n N o v em b er 2 8

, 2 0 1 6

. 1

Ord in ari l y , we wo u l d tran sfer a cas e ap p eal i n g fro m a m ag i s trat e co u rt ju dg m en t t o

s u p eri o r co u rt b ecau se “ [t ]h e o n l y av en u e o f ap p eal av ai l ab l e fro m [a] m ag i s t rat e

co u rt ju d g m en t i s p ro v i d ed b y OCGA § 1 5 -1 0 -4 1 (b ) (1 ), w hi ch al l o w s fo r a d e n o v o

ap p eal t o t h e s tat e o r s u p eri o r co u rt ,” Ha nd l er v. Hu ls ey , 1 9 9 Ga. Ap p

. 7 5 1, 7 5 1 (4 0 6

SE2 d 2 2 5 ) (1 9 9 1 ), an d t he Geo rg i a Co n s ti t ut i o n req u ires th at “ [a] n y co u rt s h al l

t ran s fer t o t h e ap p ro p ri at e co u rt i n t h e s t at e an y ci vi l cas e in wh ich i t d et erm i n es t h at
ju ri s d i ct i o n o r v en u e l i es el s ewh ere.” See Ga. Co n st

. of 1 9 83

, Art

. VI, Sec. I, Par.

VIII; s ee al s o Bo sma v. Gu n t er , 2 5 8 Ga. 6 6 4

, 6 6 4 ( 3 7 3 SE2 d 3 6 8 ) (1 9 8 8 ). Here,

h o wev er, i t i s n o t cl ear wh et h er Th o m ps o n i n t en d ed t o ap p e al t h e m ag i s t rat e co u rt

o rd er at t ach ed to her ap p l i cat i o n o r an u n s p eci fi ed ru l i n g i n wh at s h e refers t o as h er

“ De No v o Ap p eal ” t o t h e s u p eri o r co u rt

.

1 W e n ot e t h at Th o m

p s o n ’ s Decem

b er 2 3

, 2 0 1 6 ap p l i cat i o n i s u nt im el y fro m
t h i s No v em

b er 2 8

, 2 0 1 6 ju d g m en t b ecau s e an a p p e a l fro m a d i s p o s s es so ry ru l i n g

m u st b e fi l ed wi th i n s ev en day s o f t h e d at e th e ju d g m en t w as en t ered

. See OCGA §
4 4 -7 -5 6 ; Ra

y M. W r i g h t

, In c. v. Jo nes , 2 3 9 Ga. Ap p

. 5 2 1, 5 2 2 -5 23 (5 2 1 SE2 d 4 5 6 ) (1 9 9 9). January 20, 2017I f Th o m p s o n i n t en d ed t o ap p eal th e m ag is t rat e co u rt o rd er, we w ould or dina r ily

t ran s fer t h e cas e t o s u p eri o r co u rt

. See Ga. Co n s t

, o f 1 9 8 3

, Art

. VI, Sec. 1

, Par. VIII
(“ [a] n y co u rt s hal l t ran s fer t o t h e ap p ro p ri at e co u rt i n th e s tat e an y ci v i l cas e i n wh i ch

i t d et erm i n es t h at ju ri sd i ct i o n o r v en u e l i e s el s ewh ere.”). In t hi s cas e, h o wev er, ju ri s d i ct i o n d o es n o t l i e el s ewh ere. An ap peal fro m a d i s p o s s es s ory ru l i ng m u s t b e

fi led wi t h i n s ev en d ay s o f t h e d at e th e ju d g m en t was en t ered

. OCGA § 4 4 -7 -5 6 ; Ra y

M. W r i g h t

, I n c

. v

. J o n es , 2 39 Ga. Ap p

. 5 2 1

, 5 2 2 -5 2 3 (5 2 1 SE2 d 4 5 6 ) (1 9 9 9 ).

Th o m p s o n fi l ed h er ap p l i cat i o n 2 5 d ay s aft er en t ry o f t h e m ag i s trat e co u rt o rd er, wi th

t h e res u l t t h a t t h e a p p l icat i o n i s u n t i m el y an d wo ul d rem ai n s o i f t ran s ferred t o t h e

s u p eri o r co u rt

. Fu rt h er, i f T h o m p s o n d i d i n t en d t o ap p eal a ru l i n g m ad e i n t h e

s u p eri o r co u rt

, h er ap p l i cat i o n i s d efi ci en t becau s e s he h as n ot p ro v i d ed a co p y o f t h e

o rd er t h at s h e seek s t o ap peal

. Pu rs u an t t o OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (c) an d Co u rt o f Ap p eal s

Ru l e 3 1 (c), an ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew m u st i n cl u d e a co p y o f t h e o rd er

b ei n g ap peal ed

. In t h e ab s en ce of an ap p eal ab l e o rd er fro m t h e s u p eri o r co u rt

, we are

u n ab le t o as s u m e ju ri s d i ct i o n

. See Bo yl e v. S t a t e , 19 0 Ga. Ap p

. 7 3 4

, 7 3 4 (3 8 0 SE2 d

5 7 ) (1 9 8 9 ) (“ Th e req u i rem en t s o f OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 are ju ri s di ct i o n al an d t h i s co u rt

can n ot accep t an ap p eal n o t m ad e i n co m p li an ce t h erewi t h ”).

Fo r t h es e reas o n s , w e are u n a b l e t o co n s id er t h e m eri t s o f Th o m p s o n ’ s

ap p li cat io n fo r d i s cret i o n ary 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

. 01/20/2017