# 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 1 D0 39 3 . CLI NT LARKI N v . MADI SON COUNTY SCHOOL DI STRI CT.

In 2 0 1 6

, p l ai n t i ff Al l St eel Co n s t ru ct i o n

, In c. s u ed d efen d an t s Cl in t Lark i n an d

t h e M ad i s o n Co u n t y Sch o ol Di s t ri ct fo r b reach o f co n t ract

. In i t s an s wer, th e Sch o ol

Di s t ri ct as s ert ed a cro s s-cl ai m fo r i n d em n ifi cat i o n ag ai n s t Lark i n

. In ex ch an g e fo r a

p ay m en t o f $ 97 ,4 70 , Al l St eel s u b seq u en t l y ex ecu t ed a rel eas e o f i t s cl ai m s ag ai n s t

t h e Sch o o l Di st ri ct an d as si g ned t o t he Sch o o l Di s t ri ct i t s cl ai m s ag ai n s t L ark i n

. Al l

St eel t hereaft er fi l ed a pl ead i ng p u rp o rt i n g t o v o l u n t ari ly d i s m is s t h e Sch o o l Di s t ri ct

fro m t h e act io n.

Lark i n d i d n o t an s wer t he co m p l ai n t

, an d

, i n 2 0 1 7

, t h e t ri al co u rt en t ered a

d efau l t ju d g m en t ag ai n s t h i m

. Th e 2 01 7 o rd er en t eri ng a d efau l t ju d g m en t ad d res s ed

Lark i n ’ s l i ab i l i t y o n l y an d d i d n o t award d am ag es o r ot h erwi s e en t er a fi n al ju d g m en t

ag ai n s t h i m

. See gen eral l y Cr yo med i cs

, In c. v. S

mi t h

, 1 8 0 Ga. Ap p

. 3 3 6

, 3 3 7 -3 3 8

(3 4 9 SE2 d 2 2 3 ) (1 9 8 6 ) (a d efau l t ju dg m e n t a s t o l i ab il i t y o n l y i s n o t a fi n al

ju d g m en t ). Co ns eq u en t l y

, i n 2 0 1 9

, t h e Sch o o l Di s t ri ct s o u g ht an d o bt ai n ed a h eari n g

o n d am ag es

. Fo l l owi n g t h e h eari n g

, t h e t ri al co u rt en tered an ord er o n J u n e 21

, 2 0 1 9,

fi nd i ng t h at t h e p art i es h ad ag reed t h at : (i ) Lark i n was l i ab le fo r $1 1 0 ,0 00 i n d am ag es

t o t he Sch o o l Di s t ri ct ; (i i ) h e wo u l d p ay t h at am o u n t i n t wo i n s t al l m en t s n o l at er t h an

Oct o b er 1

, 2 0 1 9 ; an d (i i i ) “ [u ] po n t h at p ay m en t, t he Sch o o l Di s t ri ct wi l l n o t i fy t h e

Co u rt [,] an d t h is m at t er, i n cl u d i n g th e Sch o o l Di s t ri c t ’s C r o ss Cl ai m ag ai n s t

M r. Lark i n , wi l l b e d is m i ss ed .” July 14, 2021In J an u ary 2 02 1

, Lark i n fi l ed a m o t i o n t o s et as i d e t h e J u n e 2 0 1 9 o rd er an d

en jo i n t h e Sch o o l Di s t ri ct fro m at t em p t i n g t o ex ecu t e an d co l l ect p ay m en ts p u rs u an t

t o t h at o rd er. Th ree d ay s l at er, t h e Sch o o l Di s t ri ct fi l ed a ci v i l cas e di s p o s i t i o n fo rm

p u rp ort i n g t o s h o w t hat t h e cas e h ad b een di sp o s ed o f b y a b en ch t ri al o n J u n e 2 1,

2 0 1 9

. In M ay 2 0 21

, t he t ri al co u rt d en ied Lark i n ’ s J an u ary 2 0 2 1 m o t i o n

, an d h e

t i m el y fi l ed t h e i n s tan t ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal

.

Bas ed o n t h e ap p l i cat i on m at eri al s

, it ap p ears t h at t h i s cas e rem ai n s p en d i n g

b efo re t h e t ri al co u rt

. Acco rd i n g t o t h e p l ai n t erm s of t he co u rt ’ s J u n e 2 0 1 9 o rd er, t h e

cas e was t o rem ai n p en d i n g u n t i l Lark i n s at i s fi ed h i s p ay m en t o b l i g at i o n s

, at wh i ch

p o i n t t h e cl ai m s ag ai ns t h i m were t o b e d i s m i s s ed . An d t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s s u b s eq u en t

d en ial o f Lark in ’ s J an u ary 2 0 2 1 m o t i o n d i d n o t h i n g t o ch an g e t h e s tat u s o f t h e cas e,

n o t wi t h s t an d i n g t h e co u rt ’ s as s ert i o n s t hat it s p ri o r J u n e 2 0 1 9 o rd er was “ fi n al ”

an d /o r s o m e h o w “ rel at es b ack t o ” i t s 2 0 1 7 o rd er g ran t i n g a d efau l t ju d g m en t as to

l i ab i l i t y on l y

.

Gen eral ly

, t o ap p eal an i n t erl o cu t o ry o rd er, a p art y m u s t co m p ly wi t h t h e

i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal req u i rem en t s

, w h i ch i n cl u d e o b tai n i n g a cert i fi cat e o f i m m ed i at e

rev i ew fro m t h e t ri al co urt

. See OCGA § 5-6 -3 4 (b ). Here, h o wev er, i n i t s M ay 2 0 2 1

o rd er d en y i n g Lark in ’ s m o t i o n t o s et as i d e, t h e t ri al co u rt al s o d en i ed Lark i n ’ s m o t i o n

fo r i nt erl o cu t ory i n

ju n ct iv e rel i ef. A n d an o rd er d en y i n g a m o ti o n fo r an i n t erl o cu t o ry

i n ju n ct i o n is d irect l y ap peal ab le u n d er OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (4 ). See Jo nes v

. Pea ch

Tr a der , 3 0 2 Ga. 5 0 4, 5 1 1 (III) (8 0 7 SE2 d 8 4 0 ) (2 0 1 7).

Un d er OCG A § 5 -6 -3 5 (j), t h i s Co u rt wi l l g ran 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 rev i ew i f t he l ower co u rt ’ s o rd er i s s u b j ect t o d i rect ap p eal

. See Ci t y of

Ri n co n v. Co u ch , 2 72 Ga. Ap p . 4 1 1 , 4 1 2 (6 1 2 SE2 d 59 6 ) (2 0 0 5 ). Acco rd i n g l y , t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s hereb y GRANTED. Lark in sh al l h av e t en d ay s fro m t h e dat e o f t h i s

o rd er t o fi l e a n ot i ce o f ap p eal i n t h e t ri al co u rt

. See O CGA § 5

- 6

- 3 5 (g ). If Lark in

al read y h as fi l ed a no t i ce o f a p p e a l i n th e t ri al co u rt

, t h en he n eed n o t fi l e a s eco n dn o t i ce. T h e cl erk o f t h e t ri al co u rt i s D IRECTED t o i n cl u de a co p y o f th i s o rd er i n t h e

reco rd t ran s m i t t ed t o t h e Co u rt o f Ap p eal 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 t i 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

. 07/14/2021