# 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 0 D0 03 1 . CHRI STY LESCOTA-GRAI LER v . SHANON DEL J ONES.

Ch ri st y Les co t a-Grai l e r an d Sh an on Del J on es sh are j o i n t cu s t o d y o f t h ei r

m i n o r ch i l d

, an d t h ey h av e l i t i g at ed s ev eral cu s t o d y d i s p u t es

. In t h ei r m o s t recen t

ap p eal

, t hi s Co u rt v acat ed a p o rt i o n o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ord er an d rem an d ed t h e cas e.

See Gr a i l er v. Jo n es

, 3 4 9 Ga. Ap p

. 62 5 (8 24 SE2 d 1 1 8) (2 0 1 9). On J u ly 9

, 2 0 1 9

, t h e

t ri al co urt i s s u ed i t s fi n al o rd er o n rem a n d

. Les co t a-Grai ler fi l ed an ap p l i cat i o n fo r

d i s cret i o n ary ap peal fro m t h i s ru l i n g o n Au g u s t 9

, 2 0 1 9. Jo n es h as fi l ed a m o t i o n to

d i s m i s s t he ap p l i cat i o n as u n t i m el y

.

An ap p l i cat i on fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew m u st b e fi l ed wi t h i n 3 0 day s o f en t ry

o f t h e o rd er o r ju d g m en t t o b e ap p eal ed

. O CGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (d ). Th e req u i rem en t s o f

OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 are ju ri s d i ct i o n al

, an d t hi s Co u rt can n o t accep t an ap pl i cat i o n fo r

ap p eal n o t m ad e i n co m

p l i an ce t h erewi t h

. 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 ). H ere, Les co t a-Grai l er fi l ed h er ap p l i cat i o n 3 1 d ay s aft er en t ry

o f t h e o rd er, an d t h u s t h e ap pl icat i o n i s u n t i m el y

.

In reco g n it io n o f t h i s fact

, Les co t a-Grai l er h a s f i l ed a m o t i o n t o ch an g e t h e

fi li n g d at e. Sh e co n t en d s t h at s h e p ro p erl y fi l ed t h e ap pl icat i o n o n J u l y 8

, 20 1 9 an d

was s urp ri s ed t o l earn t he n ex t d ay t h at t h e ap p l i cat io n h ad b een s u b m i t ted wi t h o ut

t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er an d t h u s co u l d n o t b e accep t ed fo r fi l i n g

. See Co u rt o f Ap p eal s September 05, 2019Ru l e 3 1 (c). Sh e reas on s t h at t h ere m u s t h av e b een a t ech n ical m al fu n ct i o n wi t h t h i s

Co u rt ’ s e-fi l in g s y s t em

t h at p rev en t ed t h e d o cu m en t fro m u p l o ad i ng p ro p erl y

. 1

OCGA § 5 -6 -3 9 (a) (5 ) p er m i t s t h i s Co u rt t o g ran t an ex t en si o n o f t i m e fo r

fi li n g an ap p l i cat io n fo r di s cret i o n ary rev i ew. See Ga b l e v. S t at e

, 29 0 G a. 8 1

, 8 4 -8 5

(2 ) (a) (7 20 SE2 d 17 0 ) (2 0 1 1 ); acco rd Co u rt o f Ap p eal s Ru l e 1 6 (c). T he req u es t fo r

an ex t en s i o n

, h owev er, “ m u s t b e m a d e b efo re ex p i rat i on of t h e p eri o d fo r fi l i n g as

o ri g i nal ly p res cri b ed o r as ex ten d ed b y a p erm i s s i b l e p rev i o u s o rd er.” O CGA § 5 -6

-

3 9 (d ); s ee al s o Co u rt o f Ap p eal s Ru l e 3 1 (i ); G a b le , 2 9 0 Ga. at 8 4 -8 5 (2 ) (a).

Les co t a-Grai l er d o es n o t s eek an ex t en s i o n

. Sh e ad m i t t ed l y m i s s ed t h e fi l i n g

d ead li n e. As s u m i n g t h at t hi s Co u rt h as i n h eren t au t h o ri t y t o ex cu s e co m p l i an ce wi th

ju ri s d i ct i o n al req u i rem en t s

, su ch a u t h o ri t y i s n eces s ari l y l i m i t ed

. See, e. g

., Ga b l e

,

2 9 0 Ga. at 8 5 (2 ) (b ) (i n a cri m i n al cas e, an ap p el l at e co u rt m ay ex cu s e co m p l i an ce

wi t h s u ch req u i rem en t s o n l y t o t h e ex t en t n eces s ary to av o i d o r rem ed y co n s t i t u t i o n al

v i o l at i o n s). A l th o u g h Les co t a-Grai l er s u g ges t s t h e m i s s ed d ead l i n e w as cau s ed b y a

m al fu n ct i o n wi t h t h e Co u rt ’ s e-fi li n g sy s t em

, t h i s Co u rt i s u n aware of an y t ech n i cal

i s su es wi t h th e sy s t em o n t h e d at e o f fi l i n g

. Un d er t h es e ci rcu m s t a n c e s

, e x cu s i n g

co m p l ian ce wi t h ju ri s d i ct i o n al req u irem en t s i s n ot warran t ed

.

1 W e n ot e t h at t h i s Co urt recei v ed s ev eral cal l s o n J u l y 8 fro m t h e l aw o ffi ce

o f Les co ta-Grai ler’ s at t o rn ey w i t h qu es t io n s reg ard i n g t h e e-fi li n g p ro ces s

. Th e cal l er

was i n fo rm ed t h at t h e Co u rt cl o s ed at 4 : 3 0 p .m

. an d t h u s an y ap p l i cat i o n wo u l d n eed

t o be fi l ed b efo re t h en i f t h e ap p l i can t wi s hed t h e Co u rt t o rev i ew th e s u b m i s s i o n t h at

d ay

. It ap p ears

, h o wev er, th at t he ap p l i cat i o n was n o t s u b m i t t ed un t i l aft er 4 : 3 0 p .m

.,

an d t h e s u b m i s s io n was n o t rev i ewed u nt il th e fo l l o wi n g m o rn i ng at wh i ch t i m e i t

was d is co v ered t h at n o t ri al co u rt o rd er was in cl u d ed wi t h th e s u bm i s s i o n. See Co u rt

o f Ap p eal s R u le 3 1 (c) (“ Di scret i o n ary ap p l i cat i o n s m u s t co n t ai n a s t am

p ed ‘ fi l ed ’

co p y o f t he t ri al co urt ’ s o rd er o r ju dg m en t fro m wh i ch t h e ap p eal i s s o u gh t

. . . . Th e

Co u rt wi l l ret u rn an y ap p li cat i o n n o t co n t ai n i n g a s t a m p ed “ fi l ed ” co p y o f t h e t ri al

co u rt o rd er o r ju d g m en t o n wh i ch t h e ap p li cat i o n i s b as ed .”).Fo r t h es e reas o ns

, Les co t a-Grai ler’ s m o ti o n t o ch an ge t h e fi l i n g d at e i s

DENIED

, an d Jo n es ’ s m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s i s GRANTED. T he ap p l i cat i o n fo r

d i s cret i o n ary

ap peal 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 f y 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 t h 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

. 09/05/2019