# 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 2 E0 03 1

. FREDDI E J

. WAKEFI E L D, J R., DMD, et a l. v

. TI MOTHY A.

KI SER.

In t h e u nd erl y i n g s u i t

, Ti m o th y A. Ki s er (“ Pl ai n t i ff”) seek s res ci s s i o n o f an

o p erat i n g ag reem en t i nt o wh ich h e en t ered wi t h Fred d i e J

. W ak efi el d

, J r., DM D an d

Dary l S. W ak efi el d

, as wel l as t h e ret u rn o f o v er $ 6 0 0,0 0 0 h e i n ves t ed i n Den t Co rp

M an ag em en t, LLC (co l l ect iv el y

, t h e “ Defen d an t s ”). Pl ai n t i ff fi l ed a m o ti o n s eek i n g

t h e ap p oi n tm en t o f a recei ver fo r D en t Co rp

, wh i ch t h e t ri al co u rt g ran ted i n an o rd er

d at ed J an u ary

2 5 , 2 0 22

.

On Feb ru ary 1 0

, 2 0 2 2

, t h e t ri al co u rt h el d a h eari n g t o det erm in e wh et h er t h e

Defen d an t s s h o u l d b e h el d i n co n t em p t fo r fai l i n g t o c o m

p l y wi t h th e co urt ’ s

recei v ers h i p ord er. In an o r d e r d at ed Feb ru ary 1 4

, 2 0 2 2, t h e t ri al co u rt d ecl i n ed to

h o l d t h e Defen d an t s in co n t em p t

, b u t i s s u ed fu rt h er cl ari fy i n g d i rect i o n s req u i ri n g t h e

Defen d an t s t o p ro v i d e th e recei v er wi t h a c c es s t o req u es ted in fo rm at io n b y a s et

d ead li n e. Th e co u rt fu rt h er d en i ed t h e Defen d an ts ’ m o t i o n s t o co m p el arb i trat i o n an d

t o reco n s i d er t h e J an u ary 2 5 o rd er es t ab l is h i n g t he recei v ers h ip

.

Th e Defen d an t s fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal fro m t he t ri al co u rt ’ s Feb ru ary 1 4

, 2 0 2 2

o rd er. Th e ap p eal h as n o t y et b een d o ck et ed in t h i s Co u rt

. T h e Defen d an t s al s o fi l ed

t h e i n s t an t em erg en cy m ot i o n fo r s u p ers ed eas “ t o s t ay al l fu rt h er p ro ceed i n g s ” i n t h e

t ri al co u r t p e n d i n g t h ei r ap p eal fro m t h e ap p o i n t m en t o f t h e recei v er. See OCGA §

9 -1 1 -6 2 (a) (“ Un l es s o t h e r w is e o rd ered b y t h e co u rt

, an i n t erl ocu to ry o r fi n al

ju d g m en t i n an act i o n fo r an i n ju n ct i o n o r i n a recei v ers h i p act i o n s h al l n o t b e s t ay ed

March 03, 2022d u ri n g t h e p eri o d aft er i t s en t ry an d u n t i l an ap p eal i s t ak en o r d u ri n g t h e p en d en cy

o f an ap p eal .”). Th e Defen d an t s fu rt h er rep res en t t h at t h e t ri al co urt en t ered an o rd er

o n Feb ru ary 2 8

, 2 02 2

, ru l i n g t h at “ b y t h e cl os e o f b u s i n es s (5 : 0 0 p m ) M arch 3

, 2 0 2 2,

[Defen d an t s ] w i l l h a v e t o g i v e o v er al l req ues t ed s en s i t i v e an d co n fi d en t i al

i n fo rm at i o n t o t h e recei ver o r ri s k b ei ng h el d i n co n t em p t[.] ” As a res u l t

, t h e

Defen d an t s co n t en d t h at we s h o u l d g ran t t h ei r req u es ted rel i ef b ecau s e “ [o ] n ce al l t h e

req u es t ed i n fo rm at i o n i s g iv en t o t h e recei v er, t h ere i s n o g o i n g b ack

. T h e un d erl y i n g

ap p eal wi l l b e m o ot an d p res erv i n g t h e ju ri sd i ct i o n o f t h i s Co u rt wi l l b e o b s o l et e. Th e

recei v ers h i p w i ll b e cat as t r o p h i c t o t h e li v el i h o od an d b us i n es s o p erat io n s o f t h e

[Defen d an t s ] .”

In t h e fi rs t i n st an ce, t he Defen d an t s h av e fai l ed to p res en t an y ev i d en ce t o t h i s

Co u rt t h at th ey m o v ed fo r s u p ers ed eas i n t h e t ri al co u rt

. See G r een Bu l l Ga

. Pa r t n er s

,

LLC v. R eg i s t er

, 3 0 1 Ga. 4 7 2

, 47 3 (8 0 1 SE2 d 8 4 3 ) (2 0 1 7 ) (“ Al t h ou g h t h e ap p el l at e

co u rt s al s o h a v e t h e au t h ori t y t o g ran t a s tay o r i n ju n ct i on p en d i n g ap p eal

, an

ap p li cat io n fo r s uch rel i ef o rd i n ari l y o u gh t t o b e d i rect ed in th e fi rs t i n s t an ce t o t h e

t ri al co u rt .”). Th e Defen d an t s as s ert t h at t h ey fi l ed an “ E m e r g e n cy M ot i o n t o St ay

Recei v ers h i p ” i n t h e t ri al co u rt o n Feb ru ary 3

, 2 02 2

. Ho wev er, t he Defen d an t s d id

n o t i n cl u d e t h i s fi l i n g wi th t h ei r em erg en cy m o t io n

, an d t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s Feb ru ary 1 4,

2 0 2 2 o rd er d o es n o t co n t ai n a ru l i n g o n t h e D e f e n d an t s’ m o ti o n t o s tay

. Th e

Defen d an t s al s o fai led t o i n cl u d e a co p y o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s Feb ru ary 2 8

, 2 0 2 2 o rd er

wi t h t h ei r em erg en cy

m o t i o n

.

Th i s Co u rt ’ s Ru l e 40 (b ) em erg en cy p o wers are l i m i t ed an d i n t en d ed t o b e u s ed

s p ari ng l y

. Ru l e 40 (b ) p ro v i d es

, i n rel ev an t p art

, t hat we m ay o n l y “ i s s u e su ch o rd ers

o r g i ve d irect i o n t o t h e t ri al co u rt as m ay b e n eces sary t o p res erv e ju ri s d ict i o n o f an

ap p eal or t o p rev en t t he co n t es t ed i s s u e fro m b eco m i n g m o o t

. ” Bas ed u p o n a rev i ew

o f t h e s u b m i tt ed m at eri al

, we fi n d t h at an em erg en cy o rd er o f s u p ers ed eas i s n ot

warran t ed h ere. Acco rd i n g l y

, t h e Defen d an ts ’ em erg en cy m o t i o n i s h ereb y D ENIED.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 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

. 03/03/2022