# 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 9 D0 37 9 . DI NA SW EARNGI N v . GI D ROW ELL.

Gi d Ro w el l s ou g h t a pro t ect i v e o rd er ag ai n st Di n a Swearn g i n

, wi t h wh o m h e

h ad p rev i o us l y h a d a n affai r. Th e t ri al co urt en t ered a t h ree y ear p ro t ect i v e o rd er

ag ai n s t Swearn g in

, wh o fi l ed an ap p l i cat i on fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew fro m t h e ru l i n g.

It ap p ears , h owev er, t h at t h e o rd er m ay b e ap p eal ed d i rect l y

.

A p art y m us t fi l e an ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret io n ary ap peal t o o b t ai n rev i ew o f a

p ro t ect i v e o rd er t h at was en tered i n an act i o n b ro u gh t u nd er t h e Fam i l y Vi o l en ce Act

,

b ecau s e s u ch cas es are d o m es t ic rel at i o n s cas es wi t h i n t h e m ean i n g o f OCGA § 5 -6

-

3 5 (a) (2 ). See S

ch mi dt v. S

ch mi d t

, 2 70 Ga. 4 6 1

, 4 6 1 -4 6 2 (1 ) (5 10 SE2 d 8 1 0 ) (1 9 9 9 ).

Ho wev er, a part y m ay fi le a d irect ap p eal fro m a p ro tect i v e o rd er t h at w as en t ered in

an act i o n b ro u g ht u n d er OCGA § 1 6 -5 -9 4

, t h e g en era l s t a l k i n g s tat u t e. See, e.g

.,

S i n cl a i r v. Da l

y

, 2 95 Ga. Ap p

. 6 1 3 (6 72 SE2 d 67 2 ) (2 0 0 9) (rev ers i n g o n di rect ap p eal

a s tal k in g p ro t ect i v e o rd er en t ered u n d er OCGA § 1 6 -5 -9 4 ); Pi l ch er v. S t r i b l i n g

, 2 8 2

Ga. 1 6 6 (6 4 7 SE2 d 8 ) (2 0 0 7) (s am e).

Here, t h ere i s n o in di cat i o n t h at t h e p art i es h av e a fam i l i al rel at i o n sh i p wi t h in

t h e m ean i n g o f th e Fam i l y V i o l en ce A ct

, wh ich defi n es “ fam i l y v i o len ce” as “ act s

b et ween p as t o r p res en t s p o u s es

, p ers o n s wh o are p aren t s of t h e sam e ch i l d

, p aren t s

an d ch i l dren

, s tep p aren t s an d s tep ch i l d ren

, fo s ter p aren t s an d fo s ter ch i l d ren

, o r o t h er

p ers o n s l i v i n g o r fo rm erl y l i v i n g i n t h e sam e h o u s eh o l d [.] ” OCGA § 1 9 -1 3

- 1

.

Al t h o u g h Swearn gi n an d Ro wel l h ad an ad u l t ero u s affai r, i t d o es n o t ap p ear t h at t h e

t wo ev er l i v ed i n t h e s am e h o u s eh o l d. Th erefo re, Swearn g i n ap p ears to h av e a ri g ht

o f d i rect ap p eal

. April 01, 2019W e wi l l g ran t an o th erwi s e t i m el y ap pl i cat i o n fo r di s cret i o n ary ap p eal i f t h e

l o wer co u rt ’ s o rd er i s s u b

ject 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 i on i s h ereb y G R A N T E D, an d Swearn g i n s h al l h av e t en day s fro m t h e

d at e o f t h i s o rd er to fi le h er n o ti ce o f ap p eal w i t h t h e tri al c o u r t

. If s h e h as al read y

fi led a n o t i ce o f ap p eal i n t h e t ri al co u rt

, s he n eed n o t fi l e an ad d i t i o n al n o t i ce. Th e

cl erk o f t h e t ri al co u rt i s DIRECTED t o i n c l u d e a co p y of t hi s o rd er in t h e reco rd s

t ran s m i t t ed t o t h e Co u rt 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 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 t n 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

. 04/01/2019