# 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 :

A 22D 0191. P A T R IC K B A RNES v

. RI CHMOND C OUN T Y C O N S T R U C T O R S

.

Pat ri ck Barn es s e e k s t o ap p eal an ad v ers e wo rk ers ’ co m pen s at i o n d eci s i o n

m ad e i n fav o r o f Ri ch m o n d Co u n t y Co ns t ru ct o rs (t h e “ Em p lo y er”) an d Am eri can

Zu ri ch In s u ran ce Co m

p an y (t h e “ In s u rer”). Th e reco rd s h o ws t hat aft er t h e Ap p el l at e

Di v is i o n o f t he St at e Bo ard o f W o rk ers ’ C o m pen s at i o n (t h e “ Bo ard ”) affi rm ed t h e

ad m i n is t rat i v e l aw ju dg e ’s d eci s i o n , Barn es ap p eal ed t o t h e s u p eri o r co u rt

. On

Oct o b er 2 1

, 2 0 2 1

, t he su p eri o r co u rt h el d a h eari n g an d i t en t ered an o rd er p u rp o rt i n g

t o affi rm t h e Bo ard ’ s award o n No v em b er 1 8, 2 02 1

. On Decem

b er 1 6

, 2 0 2 1

, Barn es

fi led an ap p l icat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal fro m t h e No vem b er 1 8

, 2 02 1 ord er. Th e

Em p l o y er an d In s urer, h owev er, arg u e t h at Barn es ’ s ap p eal to t h e s u p eri o r co u rt was

p rev i o u s l y affi rm ed b y o p erat io n o f l aw, ren d eri ng t h e su p eri o r co u rt ’ s ord er a n u l l i t y

an d Barn es ’ s ap p l i cat i on fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal u n ti m el y . W e ag ree.

OCGA § 34 -9 -1 0 5 (b ) pro v i d es , i n rel ev an t p art

, t h at “ th e d eci s i o n o f t h e b o ard

s h al l be co n s i d ered affi rm ed by o p erat i on o f l aw i f n o o rd er o f t h e co u rt d i sp o s i t i v e

o f t h e i s s u es o n ap p eal h as b een en t ered w i th i n 2 0 d ay s o f t h e d at e o f t h e heari n g.”

Here, b ecau s e a h eari n g was hel d o n Oct o b er 2 1

, 2 0 2 1

, t h e Bo ard ’s a w a rd was

affi rm ed b y op erat i o n of l aw o n No v em b er 1 0

, 20 2 1, t h e 2 0 t h d a y fro m t h e d at e o f

t h e h eari n g . Th i s i s t h e d at e t h at co n t ro l s fo r p u rp o s es o f fi l i n g a t i m el y ap p l i cat i o n

f o r ap p eal

. See O CGA § 3 4 -9 -1 0 5 (d ); Co r o n et Ca r p et s v. Reyn o l d

s , 1 9 9 Ga. Ap p

. 3 8 3

, 3 8 3 (4 0 5 SE2 d 1 0 3 ) (1 9 91 ). Th e su p eri o r co urt ’ s su b seq u en t award was a m ere

n u l l i ty

. See Ma cKen z i e v. S a v-A- Lo t Fo o d S t o r e , 2 2 6 Ga. Ap p

. 3 2

, 3 4 (1 ) (4 8 5 SE2 d

5 5 9 ) (1 9 9 7 ).

I n o rd er fo r t hi s Co u rt t o h av e j u ri s d i ct io n , we m u st h av e a t i m e l y f

i l e d January 10, 2022ap p li cat io n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal

. Bo yl e v. S t a t e , 1 90 Ga. Ap p

. 7 3 4 (3 8 0 SE2 d 5 7 )
(1 9 8 9). An ap p l i cat io n i s ti m el y i f i t i s fi l ed wi t h in 3 0 d ay s o f t h e en t ry o f th e o rd er

t h e ap p l ican t s eek s t o ap peal

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (d ); Hi l l v. St a t e , 2 0 4 Ga. Ap p

. 5 8 2
(4 2 0 SE2 d 3 9 3 ) (1 9 9 2 ). Th u s , Barn es h ad t o fi l e h i s ap pl i cat io n w i t h i n 30 d ay s o f

No v em b er 1 0, 20 2 1

, t h e d at e t h at t h e Bo ard ’ s deci s i o n was affi rm ed b y o perat i o n o f

l aw. Hi s ap p l i cat i o n

–

fi l ed o n Decem

b er 1 6

, 2 0 2 1

– i s u n t i m el y

. Acc o rd i n g l y , t h i s

a p p l i c a t i on fo r d i scret i o n ary ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d i ct i o n. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (d ); Hi l l , 2 0 4 Ga. Ap p

. at 5 8 2

.

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 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

. 01/10/2022