# 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 6 I 0 1 27

. GW I NNETT COUNTY et a l . v . J OHN NEW TON.

J o h n Newt o n fi l ed t h is ci v i l act i o n ag ai n s t Gwi n n et t Co u nt y an d t he Gwi n n et t

Co u n ty Sh eri ff i n h i s o ffi ci al cap aci t y

. Newt o n as s ert ed t h at he was en t i t l ed to

d a m a g e s fo r in

ju ri es h e s u s t ai n ed wh i l e b ei n g u n l o ad ed fro m a b u s t h at h a d

t ran s po rt ed h i m f

ro m t h e Gwi n n et t Co u n t y J ai l t o t he Gwi n n et t Co u n t y J u s t i ce

Cen ter. Th e d efen d an t s m o v ed t o d i s m i s s t h e co m p l a i n t fo r fai lu re t o s t at e a cl ai m

u p o n w h ich rel i ef can b e g ran ted

, o n t he g ro u n d t h at Newt o n ’ s cl ai m s are barred by

s o v erei g n i m

m u n it y

. Th e t ri al co u rt s u m m ari l y d en ied t he m o t io n t o di s m i s s wi t h o ut

ex p lan at i o n

. Th e co u rt s u b s eq u en t l y cert i fi ed it s o rd er fo r i m m ed i at e rev i ew, an d t h e

d efen d an t s fi l ed t h i s ap p l i cat i on fo r i n t erl ocu t o ry ap p eal

.

Ord i n ari l y

, t h e d en i al o f a m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s i s an i nt erl o cu t o ry o rd er, an d can

b e ap p eal ed o n l y t h r o u g h t he i n t erl o cu t o ry ap peal p ro ced u re. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4

(b ). Un der t he co l l at eral o rd er d o ct ri n e, 1 h o wev er, a di rect ap p eal m ay b e h ad fro m

“ an o rd er t h at d en i es a m o t i o n t o d i s m i ss

, bas ed o n a co n cl us i v e d et erm i n at i o n t h at

t h e St at e (o r a s t at e o ffi cer o r em p l o y ee) i s n ot i m m

u n e fro m s u i t o n t h e b as is o f

s o v erei g n i m

m un i t y .” Bd

. o f Reg en t s v. Ca n a s

, 2 9 5 G a. Ap p

. 5 0 5

, 50 7 (1 ) (6 7 2 SE2 d

4 7 1 ) (2 0 0 9 ). T h i s p ro p o s i t i o n i s b as ed o n t h e p ri n ci p le th at “ s ov erei g n i m m u n i t y i s

1 U n d er t h i s d o ct ri n e

, a n i n t erl o cu to ry o rd er m ay b e ap p eal ed d i rect l y i f i t :

“ (1 ) res ol v es an i s s u e t hat i s s u bs t an t i al ly s ep arat e fro m t h e b as i c i s s ues t o b e d eci d ed

at tri al

, (2 ) wo u ld res u l t i n th e l o s s o f an im p o rt an t ri g ht i f rev i ew h ad t o awai t fi n al

ju d g m en t

, an d (3 ) co m

p l et el y an d co ncl u s iv el y d eci d es t h e i s s u e o n ap peal .” Br i t t v.

S t a t e , 2 8 2 Ga. 7 46 , 7 4 8 (1 ) (6 5 3 SE2 d 7 1 3 ) (2 0 0 7 ) (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). February 16, 2016an i m

m u n i t y fro m s u it

, rat h er t h an a m ere d efen s e t o l i ab i l i t y

, an d i s effect i v el y l o s t

i f a cas e i s erro n eo u s l y

p erm i t ted t o g o t o t ri al .” Id

.

H e r e

, t h e s ol e b as i s fo r t h e d efen d an t s ’ m o t i o n t o d i sm i s s was t h at t h e y a r e

i m m u ne fro m s u i t b as ed on t h e fact s al l eg ed i n Newt on ’ s co m p l ai n t

. Th e t ri al co urt ’ s

s u m m ary d en i al o f t h i s m o ti o n t h u s co n cl us i v el y d et erm i n ed t h at t h e d efen d an t s are

n o t en t i t l ed to so v erei g n i m m u n i t y fro m s ui t ari s i n g o u t of t h o s e fact ual al l eg at i o n s

.

See Li ber t y Co u nt y S ch o o l Di s t

. v. Ha l l ib u rt o n

, 3 28 Ga. Ap p. 4 2 2

, 4 2 5 -4 26 (2 ) (7 6 2

SE2 d 1 3 8 ) (2 0 14 ) (h o l di n g t h at t h e d efen d an t s were en t i t l ed t o a d i rect ap p eal fro m

t h e d en i al o f t h ei r m o t i o n t o d is m i s s b as ed on s o verei g n i m m u n i t y

, n o t wi t h s t an d i n g

t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s fai l ure t o ex p l ai n i t s ru l i n g ); s ee al s o Dep t. o f Tr a n sp

. v. Ja r vi e

, 3 2 9

Ga. Ap p

. 6 8 1

, 6 82

, n

. 2 (7 6 6 SE2 d 9 4 ) (2 01 4 ) (co n cl u d i n g t hat t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o n es en t en ce o rd er d en y in g th e d efen d an t ’ s m o t i o n t o d i sm i s s b as ed o n so v erei g n

i m m u ni t y was d i rect ly ap peal ab l e). “ T hi s C o u rt wi l l g ran t a ti m el y ap p l i cat i o n fo r

i n t erl o cu t o ry rev i ew i f t h e o rd er co m p lai n ed of i s su b

je c t t o di rect ap p eal an d t h e

ap p li can t s h av e n o t o t h erwi s e fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap peal .” S p i vey v. Hemb r ee

, 2 6 8 Ga.

Ap p . 4 8 5 , 4 8 6 , n . 1 (6 0 2 SE2 d 2 4 6 ) (2 00 4 ).

Acco rd i ng l y

, t h is ap p l icat i o n fo r i n t erl o cu t ory ap p eal i s hereb y GRANT ED.

T he defen d an t s 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 o rd er t o fi l e a n o t i c e o f

a p peal i n t h e t ri al co u rt

, i f o n e h as n o t al read y b een fi led

. Th e tri al co u r t c l e r k i s

i n s t ru ct ed t o i n cl u d e a co p y o f t h i s o rd er i n t h e ap p el lat e reco rd

.

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

. 02/16/2016