# 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 5 D0 44 8 . ROYAL PHI LLI PS, et a l . v . PHI LLI P PHI LLI PS, et a l.

Th e tri al co u rt en t ered a d efau l t ju d g m en t ag ai n st Ro y al Ph i l l i p s an d t h e Es t at e

o f M a x i n e P h i l l i p s (t h e “ Ph il l i p s Defen d an t s”), an d aft er a t ri al o n d am ag es

, i t

en t ered i ts v erd i ct an d ju d g m en t ag ai n s t t h em . Th e Ph i l li p s Defen d an t s fi l ed a p ro

s e m o t i on t o v acat e t h e ju d g m en t t h en h i red co u n s el

, wh o fi l ed a m o ti o n fo r new t ri al

.

Th e t ri al co u r t d e n i e d b o th m ot i o n s i n s ep arat e o rd ers en t ered o n M arch 6

, 2 0 1 5.

Acco rd in g t o t h e Ph i l l i ps Defen d an t s

, t h ey d i d n ot recei v e ei t h er o f th e o rd ers an d d id

n o t learn o f th em u n t i l A p r i l 1 4

, 2 0 1 5

, aft er t h e p eri o d fo r fi l in g a n o t i ce o f ap p eal

h ad ex p i red

. T h e Ph i l li p s Defen d an t s t h en fi l ed m o t io n s t o v acat e b o t h ord ers u n d er

OCGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0 (g ), arg u in g t h at t h ey d i d n o t recei v e p ro p er n o t ice o f t h e ru l i n g s

.

Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed b o t h m o t i o n s

, 1 an d t h e Ph i ll i p s Defen d an t s fi l ed a t i m el y

ap p li cat io n fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew.

T h e P h i l l i p s D e f

e n d a n t s a p p a r e n t l y f

o l l o w e d t h e d i s c r e t i o n a r y a p p e a l

p ro ced ures b ecau s e an o rd er d en y i n g a m o t i o n t o s et as i d e un d er OCGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0

(d ) m ay o n l y b e rev i ewed th ro u g h d i s cret i o n ary ap p l icat i o n. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a)

(8 ). Bu t “ [m ] o t i o n s t o set as i d e b ro u g h t on t h e g ro un d s t h at t h e co u rt fai l ed t o n o t i fy

t h e lo s i n g p art y o f i t s d eci s i o n are co gn i zab le as m o ti o n s t o co rrect a cl e r i cal erro r

p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 9 -1 1 -6 0 (g ) an d are p ro p erl y t h e s u bject o f a d i rec t a p p eal .”

D o w n s v

. C

. D. C. Fed

er a l Cr ed i t Un i o n

, 2 2 4 Ga. Ap p

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

1 Th e tri al co urt ’ s o rd er s h o ws t h at i t was s i g n ed o n M ay 1 4, 2 01 5

, bu t i t h as

n o s tam p ed “ fi l ed ” dat e. Pres u m i n g t h at i t was en t ered on t h e d ay i t was si g n ed

, t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s t i m el y

. July 07, 2015(1 9 9 7). Th e Ph il l ip s Defen d an t s

, t h erefo re, were n o t req u i red t o fi l e an ap p l i cat i o n

fo r d is cret i o n ary ap peal

. See Leven t h a l v. Mo sel ey

, 2 6 4 Ga. 8 91

, 8 92 (4 5 3 SE2 d 4 5 5 )

(1 9 9 5).

Th i s Co u rt wi l l g ran t an o t h erwi s e t i m el y d i s cret i o n ary ap p l i cat io n i f t h e l o wer

co u rt ’ s o rd er i s s u b

j ect t o d i rect ap p eal

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (j). Acco rd i n g l y

, t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s h ereb y GRANTED. Th e Ph il l ip s Defen d an t s s h al l h av e ten d ay s fro m

t h e dat e o f t h i s o rd er t o fi l e a n ot i ce o f ap p eal wi t h t h e t ri al co u rt

. See OCGA § 5 -6

-

3 5 (g ). If, h o wev er, t he Ph i l l i ps D e f e n d an ts h av e al read y fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal

,

t h ey n eed n o t fi l e a s eco n d no t i ce. T h e c l erk o f t he t ri al co u rt is d irect ed t o i n cl u d e

a co p y o f t h i s o rd er i n t h e reco rd t ran s m i t t ed t o t h e Co urt o f Ap p eal s

.

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 th 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

. 07/07/2015