# 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 7 D0 03 9 . J AMES R. HARPER, I I I v

. STEPHEN R. HARPER et a l

.

Th e p art i es are b ro t hers an d co -Tru s t ees o f t h e rev ocab l e t ru s t of t h ei r m o t h er,

wh o di ed i n J an u ary 2 0 1 5

. Jam es T. H arp er, III an d St ep h en R. Harp er fi led pet i t i on s

t o p ro b at e t h ei r m ot h er’ s wi ll an d su b s eq u en t l y fi l ed cav eat s t o each o t h er’ s p et i t i o n s

.

Th e b ro t h ers s u b s eq u en t l y en t ered i n t o an ag reem en t fo r arb i t rat io n wh i ch p ro v i d ed

(1 ) t h at J am es Harp er was to serv e as E x ecu t o r o v e r t hei r m o t h er’ s es t at e, (2 ) t h at

J am es Harp er was to “ i m m ed i at el y ” t ran sfer al l pro p ert y t o t he rev o cab l e t ru s t

, an d

(3 ) t h at “ [a] ll o th er m at t e rs

, i ss u es an d cl ai m s

. . . s hal l b e s u bm i t t ed to b i n d i n g

arb i t rat i on .” In Feb ru ary 2 0 1 6

, t h e t ri al co u rt en t ered a co n s en t o rd er reg ard i n g t h e

ag reem en t fo r arb i t rat i o n

. In M arch 2 0 1 6, St ev en Harp er an d a t hi rd b ro t h er, Th o m as

D

. Harp er, fi l ed a m o t i o n t o en fo rce an d fo r co n t em p t in wh i ch t h ey al s o req u e s t e d

at t o rn ey fees

. In Ap ri l 20 1 6

, t h e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed t h e m o t i on t o en fo rce an d o rd ered

J am es Harp er to tran s fer t h e real p ro p ert y i n to a tru s t

. Th e t ri al co u rt al s o o rd ered t h e

p art i es to ret u rn t o arb i trat i o n an d o rd ered J am es Harp er to p ay $ 2 6,7 0 0 .0 0 i n at t o rn ey

fees

, b u t res erv ed i t s ru l in g o n t h e m o t i o n fo r co n t em p t u n t i l fu rt h er p ro ceed i n g s.

J am es Harp er t h en fi l ed h i s fi rs t ap p l i cat i o n s ee ki n g d i scret i o nary rev iew o f t h e

Ap ri l 2 0 1 6 o rd er. Th i s Co u rt d i s m i s s ed h is ap p l icat i o n fo r fai l i n g t o fo l l o w t h e

i n t erl o cu t o ry ap peal p ro ced ures b ecau s e t h e cas e rem ai n ed p en d i n g b el o w

. See Cas e

No

. A1 6 D0 3 96 (d i s m i s s ed Ju n e 9

, 2 0 1 6). In M ay 2 01 6

, St ev en an d Th o m as Harp er

fi led a s eco n d m o t i o n fo r co n tem p t an d req u es t fo r at t o rn ey fees

. Du ri n g a J u n e 2 0 1 6

h eari n g

, t h e p art i es ag reed o n th e l an g u ag e fo r t h e d eed o f as s e n t an d th e deed was

ex ecu t e d t ran s ferri n g th e real p ro p ert y

. Su b s eq uen t l y

, i n J u l y 2 0 1 6

, t h e t ri al co u rt

en t ered an o rd er d en y i n g St ev en an d Th o m as Harp er’ s req u es t fo r at t o rn ey fees wi th September 07, 2016reg ard t o t h e s eco n d m o t i o n fo r co n t em p t

. J am es Harp er t h en fi l ed t h is ap p l i cat i o n

fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal ag ai n s eek i n g t o ch al l en g e t he Ap ri l 2 0 16 award o f at t o rn ey

fees

. W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct io n

.

Th i s cas e rem ai ns p en d in g b el o w as th e p art i e s a re t o ret u rn t o arb i t rat i o n

p u rs u an t t o t h e co ns en t o rd er. Co m p are Go s ha

yes h i v. Meh r a b i a n

, 23 2 Ga. Ap p

. 8 1,

8 2 (5 0 1 SE2 d 26 5 ) (1 9 9 8) ( a n o r d e r co m p el l i n g arb i t rat i on an d st ay in g co u rt

p ro ceed in g s i s n o t a fi n al ju d g m en t wi t h i n t h e m ean i n g o f OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ), b ut

i n s t ead

, it i s a n o n -fi n al ru l i n g s u bject t o t h e i n terl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res o f

OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b )). Becau s e n o fi n al ju d gm en t h as b een en t ered

, J am es Harp er was

ag ai n req u i red t o fo ll o w t h e in t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res

, wh i ch i n cl u d e o b t ai n i n g

a cert i fi cat e o f i m

m ed iat e rev i ew fro m t h e t ri al co u rt

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ); s ee

a l s o Scr u g

g s v. Ga

. Dep t

. of Hu ma n Res o u r ces

, 26 1 Ga. 5 8 7

, 5 8 8 -5 89 (4 0 8 SE2 d

1 0 3 ) (1 9 9 1 ). Al t h o ug h J am es Harp er fi l ed an ap p l i cat io n fo r d i scret i o nary ap p eal

, as

d es cri b ed i n OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5

, co m p l i an ce wi t h t hat pro ced u re d o es no t ex cu s e a p art y

s eek i n g ap p el l at e rev iew o f an i n t erl o cu t o ry o rd er fro m co m pl y ing w it h t h e ad d i t i o n al

req u i rem en t s o f OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 ( b )

. See Ba i ley v. Ba i l ey

, 2 6 6 Ga. 8 3 2, 8 3 3 (4 7 1

S E2 d 2 1 3 ) (1 9 9 6 ). Jam es Harp er’ s s u b s eq u en t fai l u re t o fo l l ow t h e i n t erl o cu t o r y

ap p eal pro ced u res d e p r i v e s t h i s Co u rt o f ju ri s di ct i o n t o co n s id er th is ap p l i cat i o n.

Acco rd in g ly , t h i s ap p l i cat i o n i s DISM ISSED.

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 is 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

. 09/07/2016