# 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 2 2 A 1 3 0 4

. ARTURO ACEVES RAMI REZ v

. BARTOW COUNTY

SUPERI OR COURT et a l

.

In Au g u s t 2 0 1 2, Art u ro A cev es Ram i rez p l ead ed g u il ty t o m u lt i pl e co u n t s o f

ag g rav at ed as s au l t an d n u m ero u s o t h er offen ses an d h e was sen t en ced to a t o t al t erm

o f 4 0 y ears , wi t h t h e fi rs t 3 5 y ears t o b e s erv ed i n co n fi n em en t

. Ov er s i x y ears aft er

h e was s en t en ced

, R a m i rez fi l ed a m o t i o n fo r an o u t-o f-t i m e ap peal i n M ay 2 0 1 9,

arg u i n g t h at h is t ri al co u n s el w as i n effect i v e fo r fai l i n g t o ad vi se h i m o f hi s ri g h t to

ap p eal

. Th e t r i a l co u rt s um m ari l y d en i ed Ram irez’ s m o t io n wi th o ut an ev i d en ti ary

h eari n g

. In an u n p ub l i s h ed op i n i o n

, we v acat ed t h e j u d gm en t an d rem an d ed t h e cas e

i n o rd er fo r t h e t ri al co urt t o co nd u ct a h eari n g b ecau se we co u l d n o t d et erm i n e fro m

t h e reco rd wh et h er t h e fai l u re t o t i m el y p u rs u e an ap p eal was t h e r e s u l t o f p l ea

co u ns el ’ s d efi ci en t p erfo rm an ce. See Ra mi r ez v. S t a t e

, Cas e No

. A 2 0 A0 6 2 9 (Ap ri l

8 , 2 02 0 ).

A f t e r t h e t ri al co u rt fai l ed t o co nd u ct a h eari n g

, Ram i rez fi l ed a m an d a m u s

p et i t i o n i n t h i s Co u rt s eek in g t o co m p el th e h eari ng

. W e s u b s eq uen t l y d is m i s s ed t h e

p et i t i o n becau s e t here was n o i n d i cat i o n t h at Ram i rez h ad s o u g h t t o o b t ai n m an d am u s

rel i ef i n th e s u p eri o r co u rt

. Ra mi r ez v. Ba rt o w Co u nt y Su p er i o r Co u r t et a l

. , Cas e No

.

A2 1 A1 64 8 (J u l y

1 , 2 02 1 ).

In M arch 2 0 2 2

, Ram i rez at t em p t ed to fi l e a wri t o f m an d am u s a g a i n s t t h e

ju d g es of t h e Su p eri o r Co u rt o f Bart o w Co u n t y

. T h e tri al co u rt d i d n o t fi l e t h e p et i t i o n

i n l i g h t o f t h e G eo rg ia Su p rem e Co urt ’ s d eci s i o n i n Co o k v. St a t e

,

_ __ Ga.

_ _ _ ,

_ _ _ May 11, 2022(5 ) (Cas e No

. S2 1 A 1 27 0

, d eci d ed M arch 15

, 20 2 2). In t hat cas e, th e Co u rt h el d t h at

a tri al co urt lack s au t h o ri t y to gran t an o u t -o f-t i m e ap peal b ecau se “ t h ere was an d i s

n o l eg al au t h ori ty fo r m ot io n s fo r ou t -o f-t i m e ap p eal i n t ri al co u rt s .” Id

. (n o t i n g t h at

Co o k ’ s h o l d i ng ap p l ies “ t o al l cas es t h at are cu rren t l y o n d i rect rev i ew o r o t h erwi s e

n o t y et fi nal ”). Becau s e Ram i rez h ad n o ri g h t to fi l e a m o t i o n fo r ou t -o f-t i m e ap p eal

,

t h e t ri al co u rt reas on ed t h at h e was n o t en t i t l ed t o a heari ng o n hi s m o t i o n

. Th e

i n s t an t ap p eal fo l l o w ed . W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d ict i on

.

Wh i l e ju d g m en t s an d o rd ers g ran t in g o r refu s in g t o g ran t m an dam u s rel i e f

g en eral l y are d irect l y ap p e a l a b l e, s ee OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (7 ), u nd er t h e Pri so n

Li t i gat i o n Refo rm Act o f 1 99 6, an ap p eal i n a ci v i l act i o n fi l ed b y a pri s on er m u st b e

i n i t i at ed b y fi l i n g an ap p l i cat i o n fo r d is cret i o nary rev i ew. See OCG A § 4 2 -1 2 -8 ;

Jo n es v. To wn s en d

, 2 6 7 Ga. 4 8 9 , 4 9 0 (4 8 0 SE2 d 2 4 ) (1 9 9 7 ). Becau s e Ram i rez was

i n carcerat ed at t he t im e he at t em p t ed t o fi l e hi s p et i t i o n, h i s fai l u re t o co m p l y wi t h t h e

d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew p r o c e d u r e s d ep ri v es u s o f ju ri s d i ct i o n o ver t h i s di rect ap p eal

,

wh i ch i s h ereb y

DISM ISSED. See Jo nes , 2 6 7 Ga. at 4 90 -4 9 1

.

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 th 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

. 05/11/2022