FOURTH D I VI SI ON
DI L LA RD, P. J.

, M ERCI ER and M A RKLE, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

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. ga a ppe a ls .us /r ule s

A u gust 9, 2022



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A2 2 A0 87 1 . IN THE INTEREST OF J . D. H., J R., a ch i l d

.

M E R C I E R , J u dg e.

Fo l l owi n g th e t erm i n at i o n o f h is p aren t al ri g h t s , th e p ut at i v e fat h er o f J

. D. H.,

J r. (“ Fat h er”) ap p eal s, co n t en d in g , am o n g o t h er t h i n gs , t h at t h e ju v en i l e co u rt erred

b y d en y in g h i s m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al wi t h ou t a h ea r i n g

. W e ag ree, an d

, acco rd i n g l y ,

we m u s t rev ers e t he ju v en il e co u rt ’ s o rd er d en y i ng Fat h er’ s m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al an d

rem an d t h i s cas e wi t h d i rect i o n t h at a h eari n g b e co nd u ct ed b efo re an y n ew ju d g m en t

i s en t ered

.

In rel ev an t p art

, t h e reco rd i n d i cat es t h a t t h e j u v en i l e co u rt d et erm i n ed t h at

Fat h er h ad ab an d o n ed J

. D. H

., J r. an d t h at t h e t erm in at i o n o f Fat h er’ s paren t al ri g h t s

wo u l d be i n J

. D. H., J r.’ s b es t i n teres t s

. See OCGA § 1 5 -1 1 -3 1 0 (s et ti n g fo rt h

g ro u nd s fo r t erm i n a t i o n o f p aren t al ri gh t s ) an d OCGA § 1 5-1 1 -2 (1 ) (d efi n i n g“ ab an d o n m en t ”). Th ereaft er, Fat h er fi l ed a m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al i n wh i ch h e arg u ed

b o t h t h at t h e j u v en i l e co u rt l ack ed su b ject m at ter ju ri s d i ct i on an d t h at t h e ev i d en ce

was i ns u ffi ci en t t o su p po rt t h e t e r m i n at io n o f p aren t al ri g ht s

. Fat h er al s o req u es t ed

a heari n g o n h i s cl ai m s

. A l it t l e o v er a week l at er, t h e ju v en i l e co u rt d en i ed Fat h er’ s

m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al wi t h ou t h o l d i n g a h eari ng , an d i t a d d r e s s e d o n ly Fat h er’ s

co n ten t i o n t h at s u b

ject m at ter ju ri s d i ct i o n was l ack i n g . Th i s was rev ers i b l e erro r.

W e h av e p rev i ou s l y

ex p l ai n ed :

“ A m o v an t fo r a n ew t ri al i s en t i t l ed to a h eari n g on h i s o r h er m o t i o n

. Th i s ri g h t i s g ro u n d ed b o t h i n OCGA § 5 -5 -4 0

. . . an d i n co n s t i t u t i o nal

req u irem en ts fo r p ro ced u ral d u e p ro ces s.” In t h e In t er e s t o f A. F.

, 3 4 3
Ga. Ap p

. 4 1 5, 4 1 6 ( 8 0 6 SE2 d 8 3 8 ) (2 0 1 7 ) (ci t at i o n s an d pu n ct uat i o n

o m i t t ed ). See Peyt o n v. P eyt o n , 2 3 6 Ga. 1 19

, 1 2 0 (1 ), (2 ) (2 2 3 SE2 d 9 6 ) (1 9 7 6 ) (“ i n co n s on an ce w i th co n s t i t u t i o n al req u irem en ts o f p ro ced u ral
d u e p ro ces s ,” a m o v an t fo r a n ew t ri al i s en t i t l ed t o a h eari n g o n h i s o r h er m o t io n, b u t m ay wai v e o r ab an d o n t h at ri gh t ); S h ockl ey v. St at e , 2 3 0
Ga. 8 6 9 (1 9 9 SE2 d 7 9 1) (1 9 7 3 ) (s a m e ).

. . . Al t h o u gh t h ere i s n o t a

s p eci fi c u n ifo rm ru l e req u i ri n g a ju v en i le co u rt t o co n d uct a h eari n g o n

a m o t i on fo r n ew t ri al

, t h i s Co urt recen t l y d eci ded t h at a m o th er wh o ch al len ged t h e effect i v en es s o f t ri al co u n s el i n h er m o ti on fo r new t ri al
i n a p aren tal ri g h t s t erm i n at i on p ro ceed i n g i n ju v en i l e co urt was en t i t led

t o a h eari ng o n h er m o t i o n

. In t h e In t er es t o f A. F.

, 3 4 3 Ga. A pp

. at 4 1 6

.

In t he In t er es t o

f M. I.

, 3 4 4 Ga. Ap p

. 1 7 2

, 1 7 2 (8 0 9 S E 2 d 5 4 0 ) (2 01 7 ) (fo o t n o t e

o m it t ed ). See al s o Tr i o l a v. Tr i o l a , 2 9 2 Ga. 80 8

, 8 0 8 (7 4 1 SE2 d 6 5 0 ) (2 0 1 3 ) (“ [I] f t h e

t ri al co urt d en ies a m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al i n a ci v i l cas e

. . . wi t h o u t h o l d i n g t h e

2m an d at o ry h eari n g, th e erro r w i l l n o t b e deem ed h arm l es s o n ap p eal ; i n s tead

, t h e

o rd er d en y in g t h e m o t i o n m u st b e rev ers ed an d th e cas e rem an d ed w i t h d i rect i o n t h at

t h e t ri al co urt ” h o ld a h eari n g . (ci t at i o n an d p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ).

Here, Fat h er p ro p erl y ch al l en g ed t h e s u ffi ci en cy o f t he ev id enc e suppo rt i n g t h e

ju v en i l e co u rt ’ s d eci s i o n , an d “ [a] m o t i o n fo r a n ew t ri al i s a p ro p er m ean s o f s eek i n g

a ret ri al o r reex am i nat i o n , in t h e s am e co u rt

, o f an is s u e o f f act

, o r of s o m e p art o r

p o rt i on t h ereo f, aft er d eci s i o n b y a ju ry o r a d eci s io n b y t h e co u rt t h ereo n .” Ku r i a t nyk

v. Ku r i a t n yk

, 2 8 6 Ga. 58 9

, 5 9 1 (2 ) (6 9 0 SE2 d 3 97 ) (2 0 1 0 ) (ci tat i o n an d pu n ct u at i o n

o m it t ed ). Al s o , Fat her ex p res s l y req u es t ed a h eari n g o n h i s m o t io n , an d t h ere i s n o

ev i d en ce t h at he t h ereaft er wai v ed t h at ri g h t

. A c c o r d i ng l y , Fat h er was en t i t l ed t o a

h eari n g , an d t h e j u v en i l e co urt ’ s o rd er d en y i n g Fat h er’ s m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al m u s t b e

rev ers ed an d t h i s cas e m

us t b e rem an d ed wi t h d i rect i o n t h at t h e h eari n g b e co n d u ct ed

.

In t h e In t er es t o

f M. I.

, s u p ra. W e al s o n o t e t h at

, al t h o u g h Fat h er arg u es t h e m eri t s o f

h i s co n t en t i o ns reg ard i n g ju ri s d i ct i o n an d su ffi ci en cy o f t he ev i d en ce i n th i s ap p eal

,

t h e cas e m

u s t b e ret u rn ed t o t h e ju v en i le co u rt “ fo r a h eari n g an d d i s p os i t i o n o f t h e

m o ti o n b efo re t h e m eri t s o f t he rem ai n i n g c l a i m s o f erro r are ad d res s ed

. ” In t h e

In t er es t o f A. F.

, s up ra at 4 1 6 (ci t at io n an d p u n ct u at i o n om i t t ed ); acco rd Tr i o l a , s u p ra

at 8 0 9

.

3Ju d

g men t r ever

sed a n d ca s e r ema n d

ed wi t h d ir ect i o n

. Di l l a rd

, P. J., a n d

Ma r kl e, J., co n cu r

.

4