# 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 16 2 . STEVEN W . BERNSTEI N v . ANGELYNN HOW E et a l.

St ev en Bern s t ei n s u ed A n g el y n n an d Eri c H o we, wh o as s ert ed co u n tercl ai m s

.

T h e tri al co u rt di s m is s ed Bern s t ei n ’ s cl ai m s an d co n d u ct ed a ben ch t ri al o n t h e

co u nt ercl ai m s

. By ord er e n tered Oct o b er 1 7

, 20 1 9

, t h e t ri al co u rt fo u n d i n fav o r o f

t h e Ho wes an d award ed $ 1 5 2 ,9 1 4 .6 1 i n at t orn ey fees an d ex p en s es o f li ti g at i o n a s

wel l as d am ag e s i n e x ces s o f o n e m i l l i o n d o l lars

. 1 Bern s t ei n s eek s d i s cret i o n ary

rev i ew o f t h i s o rd er.

Un d er OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ), a p art y m ay fi l e a d i rect ap p eal fro m “ [a] l l fi n al

ju d g m en t s

, t h at i s t o s ay

, wh ere t h e cas e i s n o lo n g e r p en d i n g i n t h e co u rt b el o w,

ex cep t as p ro v id ed i n Co d e Sect i o n 5 -6 -3 5 .” It do es n ot ap p ear t h at an y p ro v i s i o n o f

OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5, t h e d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal s tat u t e, a p p l i e s h ere. 2 Rat h er, t h e t ri al

co u rt ’ s en t ry

o f ju d gm en t o n t he Ho wes ’ s co u n t ercl ai m s m ay b e ap p eal ed d i rect l y

.

W e w i ll gran t a t i m el y ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal i f t h e l o wer co urt ’ s

o rd er i s s u bject t o d i rect ap p eal

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (j). Acco rd i n gl y

, t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s h ereb y G RANTED. Bern s t ei n s h al l h av e t en d ay s fro m t h e d at e o f t h i s

1 Th e o rd er h ol d s th at at t o rn ey fees are au t h ori zed b y OCGA § 9 -1 5 -1 4 (a) &

(b ) an d OCGA § 13 -6 -1 1

. T h e o rd er i s un cl ear as t o wh i ch s t at u t e serv ed as t h e b as i s

fo r t h e award o f at t o rn ey fees

.

2 “ Al t h o ug h OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a) ( 1 0 ) r e q ui res t h at an ap p eal o f an award o f

at t o rn ey fee s m a d e p u r s u an t to OCGA § 9 -1 5 -1 4 b e p reced ed b y t h e g ran t o f a

d i s cret i o n ary

ap pl i cat io n, a d i rect ap p eal i s p erm i t t ed wh en i t i s ap p eal ed as p art o f

a ju d g m en t t h at i s d irect l y ap p eal ab le.” Mi t ch a m v. Bl al o ck

, 2 68 Ga. 6 4 4

, 6 4 6 -6 4 7 (4 )

(4 9 1 SE2 d 7 8 2 ) (1 9 9 7 ) (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t ted ). November 22, 2019o rd er to fi l e a n o t i ce o f ap p eal i n t he t ri al co u rt

. If Bern s tei n h as al read y fi l ed a n o t i ce

o f ap peal i n th e t ri al co urt

, h e n eed n o t fi l e a s eco n d n o t i ce. Th e cl erk of t h e t ri al co u rt

i s DIRECTED to i n cl u d e a co py o f th i s o rd er i n t h e reco rd t ran sm i t t ed t o t h e Co u rt

o f Ap peal s

.

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 is a tr 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

. 11/22/2019