# 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 E0 00 4 . D. RI CHARD W ELLS et a l . v . SUSAN W ELLS-W I LSON.

D. Ri ch ard W el l s an d Fi rs t No l i a En t erp ri s es

, In c. (“ Ap p el l an t s ”) h av e fi l ed a

“ E m e r g e n cy M o t io n t o St ay Pen d i n g Ap p eal ” pu rs u an t to t h i s Co u rt ’ s Ru l e 4 0 (b )

.

Co u rt of Ap p eal s Ru l e 4 0 (b ) v es t s t h i s Co u rt wi t h t he i n h eren t au t h o ri t y t o i s s u e

em erg en cy o rd ers “ as m ay b e n eces sa r y t o p res erv e ju ri s d i ct i o n o f an ap p eal o r to

p rev en t t h e co n t es t ed i ss u e fro m b eco m i n g m o o t

. T hi s p o w er s h al l b e e x erci s ed

s p ari ng l y .”

Th i s ap p eal ari s es fro m an o rd er ru l i n g on Ap pel l ee Su s a n Wi l s o n -W el l s ’

m o ti o n t o co n fi rm an arb i t rat i o n award an d Ap p el l an t s ’ m o ti o n t o v ac a t e t h e s am e

arb i t rat i on award

. Th e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed t h e m o t i o n t o v acat e, an d i d en t i fi ed t h ree

s p eci fi c i ss u es th at w o ul d b e re-co n s i d ered o n rem an d t o t h e arb i t rat o r. Ho wev er, t h e

t ri al co u rt d i d n o t rem an d t h e cas e fo r re

- c o n s i d e r at i o n o f th e i ss u es rai s ed by

Ap p el l a n t s

. See S CS

J En t er p r is es v. Ha n s en & Ha n s en En t er pr i s es

, 3 0 6 Ga. Ap p.

1 8 8

, 18 9 (7 0 2 SE2 d 1 2 ) (2 0 1 0 ) (Geo rg i a l aw req u i res t h at

, “ i f a t ri al co u rt v acat es an

arb i t rat i on award

, i t m ay d o s o o n ly in i ts en t i ret y [,] b u t al s o th at “ a reh eari ng m ay b e

l i m i ted t o t h e s p eci fi c i s s ues n eces s i t at i ng t h e v acat u r[, an d ] t h at t h e v acat u r o f t h e

en t i re arb i t rat i on award wi l l n o t ren d er t h e pri o r p r o c e ed i n g s a n u l li t y ”) (ci t at i on s

o m it t ed ). Ap p el lan t W el l s fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal fro m th i s o rd er o n J ul y 2 9

, 2 0 2 0

an d Ap p el l an t Fi rs t No l i a fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal o n J u l y 3 1, 2 0 2 0

.

Ap p el l an t s n o w arg u e t h at t h e Am eri can Arb i t rat i o n A s so ci at i o n ’ s (“ AAA”)

ex p res s ed i n t en t t o m o v e fo rward wi t h arb i t rat i o n o n t h e sch ed u l ed d at e o f Au g u s t 7,

2 0 2 0

, v i o l at es OCGA § 9-1 1-6 2 t en -d ay l im i t ed s t ay an d t h e m an d at o ry s u p ers ed eas

g ran t ed b y OCGA § 5 -6 -4 6 b ecau s e i t wo u ld fo rce Ap p el l an t s t o arb i t rat e d u ri n g t h e August 03, 2020p en den cy

o f t h ei r ap p eal an d wo u l d ren d er t h ei r ap p eal s m oo t

.

W e n o t e t h at co rres p o n d en ce fro m t h e AAA t o part i es i n d icat es t h at i t i n t en d ed

t o o b s erv e t h e 1 0-d ay s t ay m an d at ed b y O CGA § 9 -1 1 -6 2 (a), b u t t h at i t wo ul d “ t ak e

an y n eces s ary ad m i n i s t rat i v e s t ep s du ri n g t h at t i m e p eri o d i n o rd er t o b e read y to

p ro ceed on ce th at s t ay i s co n cl u d ed [,]

. . . [an d ] t h at t h e AAA i n t en d s t o p ro ceed

wi t h o u t ad m i n i s t rat i o n o f t hi s m at t er o n ce t h e i n i t i al 1 0 d ay s t ay as ex p i red

.

Ho wev er, OC G A § 5 -6 -4 6 p ro v i d es t h at “ i n ci v i l cas es

, t h e n o t i ce o f ap p eal

fi led a p ro v i d ed i n [OCGA § ] 5 -6 -3 7 an d 5 -6 -3 8 s h al l s erv e a s s u p e r s ed eas u p o n

p ay m en t o f al l co s t s i n t h e t ri al co u rt b y t h e ap p el l an t [.] ” “ [S] u p ers ed eas i s p res u m ed

t o at t ac h i n ci v i l cas es as s o o n as a n o t i ce o f ap p eal i s fi l ed

. Th is d ep ri v es t h e t ri al

co u rt o f t h e au t h o r i t y t o act on t h e ju dg m en t o n ap p eal

. ” (Ci tat i o n an d pu n ct u at i o n

o m it t ed .) Jo n es v. Pea ch Tr ad er

, In c.

, 3 0 2 G a. 5 04

, 5 0 7 (II) (8 0 7 SE2 d 8 4 0 ) (2 0 1 7 ).

Fu rt h er, an o rd er v acat i ng a n arb i t rat i o n award an d rem an d i n g i t fo r fu rt h er

p ro ceed in g s co n s t i tu tes a fi n al ju d g m en t fo r p u rp o s es o f ou r ap p el l at e rev i ew. See

OC G A § 9 -9 -1 3 (e); Ki n g v. Ki n g

, 3 5 4 Ga. A p p

. 1 9 (8 4 0 SE2 d 1 0 8 ) (2 0 2 0 ) (“ t h e

co u rt ’ s ju d g m en t is d eem ed fi nal fo r ap p eal p u r p o s e s

, ev en t ho u gh i t i s u n d i s p u t ed

t h e cas e m

u s t b e ret u rn ed t o t h e arb i t rat o r fo r reh eari n g ”) (ci t at io n o m i t t ed ).

Acco rd i ng l y

, we c onc lude tha t A ppe lla n t ’ s fi l i ng o f th ei r n o ti ces o f ap p eal h av e

d i v es t ed th e AAA o f

ju ri s d i ct i o n t o p ro ceed w i t h th e s ch ed ul ed arb i t rat i o n o n Au g u s t

7

, 2 0 2 0

. If t h e arb i t rat io n were al l o wed t o p ro ceed b efo re Ap p el lan t s’ ap p eal s were

h eard

, t h e i s su es wo u l d b eco m e m o ot an d t h i s Co u rt wo u l d b e u n ab l e t o ru l e u p o n

t h em

. See 1 2 0 5 2 As s o ci a t i o n s v. W

. C. Ca r s on

, In c.

, 2 02 G a

. A p p

. 7 3 1 (4 1 5 SE2 d

2 9 8 ) (1 9 92 ). A cco rd i n g l y

, to p rev en t t h e co n tes t ed i s su es i n t h i s cas e fro m beco m i n g

m o ot

, we GRANT A p p el l an t ’ s m o ti o n t o s t ay t h e arb i t rat i o n p ro ceed i ng s p en d i n g h i s

ap p eal

.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

. 08/03/2020