# 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 A0 41 1 . MASCORRO v . MONJ ARAZ
,

In t h i s ap p e a l

, B i a n ca Fl o r Mas co rro s eek s rev i ew o f t he t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er

l eg i t i m at i n g h er ch i l d ren an d award i n g v i s i t at i o n t o t h ei r fat h er, Rau l J av i er

M o n j araz. On ap p eal

, M as co rro arg u es t h at t h e tri al co u rt erred i n al l o wi n g t h e fat h er

t o l eg i t im at e t h e ch i l d ren an d i n fai l i n g t o g i v e sp eci fi c fi n d i n g s o f fact an d l eg al

co n cl u s i o n s t o s u p p o r t t h e d eci s i on

. Fo r t h e reas o n s t h at fo l l o w, we d i s m i s s t h e

ap p eal

. 1

Th e reco rd s h o ws th at Mas co rro an d Mo n jaraz are t h e paren t s o f t wo ch i l d ren

. In 20 1 9

, M as co rro ’ s h u sb an d fi l ed a p et it i on t o ad o p t t h e ch il d ren

. Th ereaft er,

M o n j araz fi l ed a p et i t i on to l eg i t i m at e b o t h ch i ld ren , seek i ng jo i n t l eg al cu st o d y an d

v i s i t at i o n

. Fo l l o wi n g a t em p o rary h eari n g , t he t ri al co u rt g ran t ed t h e p et i t i o n to

l eg i t i m at e t h e ch i ld ren ; award ed l eg al an d p h ys i c al cu s t o d y t o M as co rro ; g ran t ed

M o n j araz v i s i t at i o n ; an d o rd ered hi m t o p ay ch i l d s u p p o rt

. In h er ap p eal , M as co rro

ch al l en g es o n l y t h e l eg i t i m at io n

. W e are o b l i g at ed t o i n q u i re in t o o u r j u ri s d i ct i o n in an y cas e i n w h i ch o u r ju ri s d i ct i o n m ay b e lack i n g. Fo r d v. Fo rd

, 3 4 7 Ga. Ap p

. 2 3 3 (8 1 8 SE2 d 6 90 ) (2 0 1 8 ).

Al t h o u g h O CGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a ) ( 1 1 ) p e r m i t s a d i rect ap p eal fro m al l ju d g m en t s o r

o rd ers in “ ch i l d cu s t od y cas es ,” t h e i s s u e rai s ed o n ap p eal g o v ern s wh et her an o rd er

m ay b e ap p eal ed d i r e c t l y, a n d h ere t h e i s s u e i s n o t cu s to d y b ut th e t ri al co urt ’ s

1 In an o rd er d at ed No v em b er 3

, 2 0 2 0

, we d i s m i s s ed t hi s ap p eal

. M as co rro fi l ed

a m o t i o n fo r reco n s i d erat i o n , wh i ch l ed to th e r e in s t at em en t o f h er ap peal

. Fo r t h e

reas on s o u t l i n ed b el o w, we l ack ju ri s di ct i on t o co ns i d er t h i s ap p eal

. July 06, 2021l eg i t i m at i o n ru l i n g

. See V o yl es v. Vo

yl es , 3 0 1 Ga. 4 4

, 4 7 (7 9 9 SE2 d 1 6 0 ) (2 0 1 7 )
(ap p eal i n a d o m es t i c rel at i o n s cas e i n wh i ch cu s t o d y i s n o t an i s s u e m u s t b e b ro u g ht

b y d i s cret i o n ary ap pl icat i o n ). In h er bri ef, Mas co rro ch al l en g es o nl y t h e bas i s fo r t h e

gr a n t of M onj a r a z’ s l eg i t i m at io n p et i t i o n

. A leg i ti m at i on act i o n is a d o m es ti c rel ations

cas e, an d an ap peal t h erefro m m us t b e i n i ti at e d b y f

i l in g an ap pl icat i o n fo r

d i s cret i o n ary rev iew. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a) (2 ), (b ); Nu ma n o vi c v. Jo n es , 3 2 1 Ga.
Ap p

. 76 3

, 7 6 4 (7 4 3 SE2 d 4 5 0) (2 0 1 3 ); Cl o u d v. No r wo od

, 3 2 1 Ga. Ap p

. 2 1 8 (7 3 9

SE2 d 93 ) (2 0 1 3); Br o wn v. W i l l i a ms , 1 7 4 G a

. A p p

. 6 0 4 (3 3 2 SE2 d 4 8 ) (1 9 8 5 ).

“ [C] o m p l i an ce w i t h t h e d i scr e t i o n a r y ap peal s p ro ced u re i s ju ri s di ct io n al .” Fa b e v.

Fl o yd

, 19 9 Ga. Ap p

. 3 2 2

, 33 2 (1 ) (4 0 5 SE2 d 26 5 ) (1 9 91 ); see al s o Fo r d

, 3 4 7 Ga.
Ap p

. at 2 3 4

. Th u s , M as co rro ’ s fai l u re t o fo ll o w th e d i s c r e t i o n a r y ap p eal p ro ced u re

d ep ri v es u s o f ju ri s d i ct i on o v er t hi s cas e. Nu ma n o vi c , 3 21 Ga. Ap p

. at 7 6 4.

Acco rd in g ly , we DISM ISS t hi 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 ti 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

. 07/06/2021