# 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 5 A0 13 7 . J ORDAN et a l . v . STATE OF GEORGI A.

Th e ab o v e-referen ced cas e, i n v o l v in g an at t em p t b y t h e ap p el l an t s t o b ri n g a

ci v i l act i o n u n d er t h e Geo rg i a Fal s e M e d i c ai d Cl ai m s A ct (“ G FM CA”), 1 ag ai n s t

cert ai n p h arm aceu t i cal co m pan i es , was d o ck et ed i n t h i s Co urt o n Sep t em b er 5

, 2 0 1 4.

On Oct o b er 1, 2 0 14

, t h i s Co u rt g ran t ed ap pel l an t s ’ req u es t fo r o ral arg u m en t

, wh i ch

was s ch ed u l ed fo r J an u ary 2 1

, 2 0 1 5

. On J an u ary 1 5, 2 0 1 5

, l es s t h an o n e w eek b efo re

o ral arg u m en t

, ap p el l a n t s fi l ed a m o t i o n to u n s eal t h e reco rd on ap p eal

, wh i ch h ad

b een s eal ed s i n ce t h e i n it i at i o n o f t h i s l i t i g at i o n p u rs u an t t o t h e fi l i n g req ui rem en t s

o f t h e GFM CA 2 an d i t s p ro v i s i o n al l o wi n g t h e St at e t o seek ex t en s i o n s o f t i m e fo r t h e

s eal to rem ai n i n p l ace. 3 Th e fo l l o wi n g d ay , t h e St at e fi l ed a m o ti o n i n res p o n s e,

arg u i n g t h at t h e reco rd o n ap p eal s h o u l d rem ai n s e a l e d

. G i v en th e ten s i o n b et ween

t h e s t at u t e an d th e p res um p t i o n i n G e o r g i a t h at “ t h e p u b li c wi l l hav e acces s t o al l

1 S ee OCGA § 4 9 -1 -1 6 8 et

s eq

.

2 S ee OCGA § 4 9 -4 -1 6 8 .2 (c) (2 ) (“ W here a p ri v at e p ers o n bri n g s a ci vi l act i o n

u n d er th i s art i cl e, s u ch p ers o n s h al l fo l l o w t h e fo l l o wi n g s p eci al p ro ced u res :

. . . Th e

co m p l ai n t s h al l b e fi l ed i n cam era, s h al l r e m a i n u n der s eal fo r at leas t 6 0 d ay s , an d

s h al l n o t b e s erv ed o n th e d efen d an t u nt i l t h e c o u r t s o o r d e r s

. Th e pu rp o s e o f t h e

p eri o d u n d er s eal s h al l b e t o al l o w t h e At t o rn ey Gen eral to in v es ti g at e t h e al l eg at i on s

o f t h e co m

p lai n t .”).

3 S ee OCGA § 49 -4 -1 6 8 .2 (c) (3 ) (“ Th e At to rn ey Gen eral m ay , fo r g oo d cau s e

s h o wn , m o ve t h e co u rt fo r ex t en s i o n s o f t h e t i m e du ri n g wh i ch t h e co m pl ai nt rem ai n s

u n d er s eal u n d er p arag rap h (2 ) o f t h i s s u b s ect i o n .”). January 23, 2015co u rt reco rd s[,] ” 4 o ral arg um en t was p o s t p on ed

.

Hav i n g co n s i d ered t h e part i es ’ co m p et i n g m o t i o n s, we fi n d t h at

, in es s en ce, t h e

p art i es are l i t i g at i n g an i s s u e wi t h p o t en t i al l y i m po rt an t i m

p l i cat i o n s fo r t h e fi rs t t i m e

o n ap p eal

. In d eed

, at t he h eari n g o n t h e St at e’ s m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s ap p el l an t s ’

co m p l ai n t

, t he t ri al co u rt o ffered t o h ear arg u m en t as t o w h et h er t h e cas e s h o u ld

rem ai n u n d er s eal

, b u t t h e o ffer was d ecl i n ed . Su bs eq u en t l y , t he cas e was d o ck et ed

wi t h t h is Co u rt wi t h o u t t h e t ri al co u rt ru l i n g o n t h i s is su e. N ev ert h el es s “ [i ] n as m u ch

as we are a co urt fo r t h e co rrect i o n o f erro rs , we d o n o t co n s i d er i ss u es wh i ch were

n o t rai s ed bel ow an d ru l ed o n b y t h e t ri al co u rt .” 5 Acco rd i n g l y, we h ereb y rem an d

t h i s cas e t o t h e t ri al co u rt fo r a d et erm i n at i on o f wh et h er th e cas e i s t o rem ai n u n d er

s e a l an d

, i f s o , wh et h er t h e en t i ret y o f t h e reco rd an d fi l i n gs o r o n l y s el ect ed p a r t s

rem ai n s u n d er s eal

. Fo l l o wi n g t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s d et erm i n at i o n , t h e l os i n g p art y m ay

ap p e a l t h e d et erm i n at i o n, at wh i ch t i m e t h e ap p el lan t s m ay al s o ren ew t hei r ap p eal

o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er d i s m i s s i n g t h ei r co m p l ai n t.

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

.

4 At l a n t a Jo ur n a l & Co ns t i t u t i o n v. Lo n g , 2 5 8 Ga. 4 1 0

, 4 11 (1 ) (3 6 9 SE2 d 7 5 5 ) (1 9 8 8).

5 Demp s ey v. Gwi n net t Ho s p

. S ys

., In c. ,

__

_ G a. A p p

.

_

_ _ , Sl i p o p

. at 1 2 (Cas e No . A1 4 A1 4 2 7; d eci d ed No v em b er 2 1 , 2 0 1 4) (p un ct u at io n o m it t ed ). 01/23/2015