# 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 2 A1 26 6 . STANLEY HAMI LTON v . THE STATE.

Fo l l owi n g a j u ry tri al
, St an l ey Ham i l t o n was co n v i ct ed o f ag g rav at ed as s au l t

. He fi l ed an u n ti m el y m o t i on fo r n ew t ri al
, wh i ch t h e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed

. Ham i l t o n

t h en fi l ed an ex t rao rd i nary m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al
, wh i ch t he co u rt al s o d i s m i s s ed

. He

n ex t fo l l o wed a m o t i o n fo r o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal
, wh i ch th e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed
, b ut
Ham i l to n fai l ed t o t i m el y fi l e ei t h er a m ot i o n fo r n ew tri al or a n o ti ce o f ap p eal wi t h in
3 0 d ay s

. H e fi l ed a s eco n d m o ti o n fo r o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal
, w hi ch t he t ri al co u rt al s o
g ran t ed

. Ham il t on t h e n fi l ed a m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al wi t h in 3 0 day s o f t h e co u rt

g ran t i n g h i m an o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal

. Fo l l o w i n g an ev id en t i ary h eari n g , 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 o n t h e m eri t s o n Feb ru ary 2 4
, 2 0 2 2

. Th i s ap p eal

e n s u ed

. Recen t p reced en t fro m t h e Su p rem e Co u rt , h o w ev er, p recl u d es u s fro m ad d res s i n g t h e m eri t s o f t h i s ap p eal

. Recen t l y , t he Su p rem e Co u rt e l i m in at ed t h e o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal p ro ced u re, h o l d i n g t h at a t ri al co u rt i s “ wi t h o u t ju ri s d i ct i on t o d eci d e [a] m o t i o n fo r o u t -o f-t i m e
ap p eal ” o n t he m eri t s b ecau s e “ t h ere was an d i s n o l eg al au t ho ri t y fo r m o t i o n s fo r

o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal in t r i al co u rt s .” Co o k v. S ta t e ,

_ _ _ Ga.

_ _ _ (5 ) (s l i p o p

. at 8 2 ) (Cas e No

. S2 1A1 2 7 0
, d e c i d ed M arch 15
, 2 0 22 ). Co o k al s o co n cl ud ed t h at t h i s h o l d i n g ap p li es to “ al l cas es th at are cu rren t ly o n d i rect rev i ew o r o th erwi se n o t y et
fi nal [,] ” i d
., an d d i rect ed t h at “ pen d in g an d fu t u re m o t i on s fo r o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal s in

t ri al co urt s s h o u ld b e d is m i ss ed
, an d t ri al co u rt o rd ers t h at h av e d eci d ed s u ch m o t i on s

o n t he m eri t s

. . . s h ou l d b e v acat ed i f d i rect rev i ew o f t he cas e rem ai n s p en d i n g o r i f

t h e cas e i s o th erwi s e n o t fi n al .” Id . at

_

_ _ (4 ) (s l i p o p . at 8 0 -8 1 ).

In l i g h t o f Co o k
, Ham i l t o n “ h ad n o ri g h t t o fi l e a m o t i o n fo r an o u t -o f-t i m e April 26, 2022ap p eal in t h e t ri al co u rt ; h i s rem ed y , i f an y , l i es in h ab eas co rp u s .” Ru t l ed g e v. S t a t e ,

_ _ _ Ga.

_ _ _ ,

_ _ _ (s l i p o p

. a t 4 ) (Cas e No

. S2 1 A1 0 3 6
, d eci d ed March 1 5
, 2 0 2 2 ).
Acco rd in g ly
, th e tri al co u rt ’ s No v em ber 1 9, 2 0 2 1 o rd er g ran t i n g Ham i l t o n ’ s m o t i o n f o r o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal i s h ereb y VACATED, an d t h i s cas e is h ereb y RE M AN D E D
fo r t h e en t ry o f an or d e r d i s m i s s i n g Ham i lt o n ’ s m o t i o n

. Ad d i t i o nal l y , g i v en t h at
Ham i l to n ’ s m o t i o n fo r o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal was g ran t ed i n t h i s cas e, t h e t ri al co u rt i s DIRECTED t o v a c at e an y s u b s eq u en t ru l i n g s on fi l i n g s t h at t he co u rt l ack ed ju ri s d i ct i o n t o d eci d e wi t h ou t t h e g ran t ed o ut -o f-t im e ap p eal
, s u ch as th e Feb ru ary 2 4,
2 0 2 2 o rd er d en y i n g Ham i lt o n ’ s o t h erwi s e u n t i m el y m ot io n fo r n ew t ri al
, an d a M arch
1 1
, 2 0 22 o rd er den y i n g Ham i l t o n ’ s m o t i on fo r reco n si d erat io n o f t h a t o rd er.

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

. 04/26/2022