# Co u r t o f A p p eals

o f th e S tate o f G eo r g 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 4 A0 34 0 . RAYNI ER MARQUEZ v

. RAFAEL E. AGUI RRE.

On M ay 31

, 2 0 2 3

, (Ap p el l an t) Ray n i er M arq u ez[ 1 ] fi l ed a no t ice o f ap p eal fro m

t h e tri al co urt ’ s “ Am en d ed Fi n al Ord er G ran ti ng Leg i t i m at i o n an d Det erm i n at i o n o f

Cu s t od y ” en t ered o n M arch 30

, 2 0 2 3

. Th ereaft er, o n Au g us t 3 1

, 2 0 2 3

, (Ap p el l ee)

Rafael E. Ag u i rre fi l ed i n t h e tri al co u rt a m o t io n t o d i s m i s s th e ap p ea l o n g ro u nd s

t h at (Ap p el l an t ) M arq u ez h ad fai l ed t o cau s e t h e tran s cri p t t o b e fi led wi th in t h e 3 0

-
d ay d ead l i n e set fo rt h i n OCG A § 5 -6 -4 2 2 an d h ad al s o fai led t o s eek a t i m e

ex t en s i o n

. 3 W h il e t h at m o ti o n was p en d i ng b efo re th e t ri al co u rt

, t h is cas e was

t ran s m i t t ed t o t h i s Co urt an d d ock et ed as t h e ab o v e-referen ced cas e n u m b er.

Ap p el l ee t h ereaft er p u rs ued i n t h is Co u rt a M ot i on t o Rem an d t h is cas e, t h en

an Am en d ed M o t io n t o Rem an d t h i s cas e, fo r p u rp o ses o f al l o w i ng t h e t ri al co u rt to

1 M arq u ez’ s fi rs t n am e ap p ears i n t h e reco rd al s o as “ Rey ni er.”

2 See OCGA § 5 -6 -4 2 (p ro v i d in g t h at “ [t ] h e p art y h av in g t h e res p o ns i b i l i t y o f

fi li n g t h e t ran scri p t s h al l cau se i t t o b e fi l ed wi t h in 3 0 d ay s aft er fi l i n g o f t h e n o t i ce

o f ap p eal . . . , u n l es s t h e t i m e i s ex t en d ed ”).

3 See OCGA § 5

- 6 -4 8 (c) (p ro v i di n g fo r d i sm i s s al o f an ap p eal fo r fai l u re to
fi le t ran s cr i p t t i m el y ); Pa r k Reg en cy Pa r t n er

s v. Gr u b er , 2 7 1 Ga. Ap p. 66

, 7 0 (1 ) (6 0 8 SE2 d 6 6 7 ) (2 0 0 4) (“ A t ri al co u rt ’ s d eci s i o n t o g ran t o r d en y a m o t i o n t o d i s m i ss

an ap p eal u nd er OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (c) i s rev i ewed u n d er an ab u s e o f d i s c ret i o n

s t an d ard .”).

1 December 01, 2023ex erci s e i t s d i s cret i o n in ru l i n g o n t h e pen di ng m o t i o n to d i s m i s s

. In h is Res p o n se to

t h e fo reg o i n g , Ap p el lan t s t at es :

In t h e i n t eres t of an eco n o m i cal l y effi ci en t res o l u t i o n t o th e i s s u e rai s ed

b y Ap p el l ee i n h i s M o t i on t o Rem an d an d Am en d ed M o t i o n t o Rem an d

an d i n an effo rt to d i s p el an y u n cert ai n t y th at m ay ex i s t wi t h res p ect t o

t h e co m pl et en es s an d s u ffi ci en cy o f t h e reco rd t h at i s b efo re t h i s Co u rt

, Ap p el l an t wi l l n o t op p o s e rem an d o f t h e cas e to t he tri a l c o u r t f o r a

ru l i n g o n t h e Ap p el l ee’ s t ri al co u rt M o t i o n t o Di s m i s s Ap p eal

.

A s t h is Co u rt recen t ly ex p o u n d ed i n Hu n t er v. W i l l

, 3 5 2 Ga. Ap p

. 4 7 9 ( 8 3 3

SE2 d 1 2 8) (2 0 1 9):

[A] t ri al co u rt l o s e s th e ab i l i t y t o ru l e on a m o t i o n t o d is m i ss on ce th e

reco rd h as b een tran s m i t t ed t o t h e ap p el l at e co u rt

. No or a ni v. S ug a r l o a f

Mi l l s L t d

. P a r tn er s h i p , 3 0 8 G a. Ap p. 1 6 8

, 1 6 9 -1 7 0 (7 0 6 SE2 d 7 5 0 )

(2 0 1 1 ). An d decad es ag o , th i s C o u r t cl ari fi ed th at t hi s p ri n ci pl e

. . .

ap p l ies w h et h er t h e reco rd i s t ran s m it t ed “ erro n e o u s l y o r n o t .” Tu r n er

v. Ta yl o r , 1 7 9 G a

. A p p

. 5 74

, 5 7 5 (1 ) (a) (3 4 6 SE2 d 92 0 ) (1 9 8 6 ).

. . . No rm al l y , t ri al co u rt s reg ai n t h e au t h o ri t y t o ru l e on a m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s

an ap p eal t h ro ug h ei t her a rem an d o f an ap p eal o r an ex pl ici t ord er fro m

t h e ap p el l at e co u rt

. See, e.g ., Ro i s -Men dez v. S ta mp s , 3 12 Ga. Ap p

. 1 3 6

, 1 3 8 n .1 (7 1 7 SE2 d 7 1 8) (2 0 1 1 ) (ex p lai n i n g t h at w e rem an d ed t h e fi rs t

ap p eal t o t h e t ri al co u rt

, al l o wi n g t h e co u rt t o e x e r c i s e i ts au t h ori t y t o

d i s m i s s t h e ap p eal ); W

i n z er v. EHCA Du n wo o d

y , 2 77 Ga. Ap p. 7 1 0, 7 1 1

(6 2 7 SE2 d 4 2 6) (2 0 0 6 ) (“ [T] h i s co urt ret u rn ed t h e reco rd t o t h e t ri al

co u rt

, i n fo rm i n g t h e l ower co u rt

. . . t h at we co ul d no t accep t t h e ap p eal

.

. . .”); Mi l l er v. In g l es Mkt

., 2 1 4 Ga. Ap p

. 8 1 7, 8 1 7 -8 1 8 (4 4 9 SE2 d 1 6 6 )

(1 9 9 4 ) (rem an d i ng t h e cas e fo r a ru l in g o n th e m o ti o n t o d i sm i s s ); Pr i ce

v. Or t i z , 1 5 2 Ga. Ap p

. 6 5 1

, 6 5 2 (2 6 3 SE2 d 5 2 7) (1 9 7 9 ) (ex p l ai n i n g t hat

2we p rev i o u s l y “ ret u rn ed t h e cas e t o t h e t ri al co u rt ” v i a an o rd er).

(Ci t at i o n s o m i t t ed .) H

u nt er , 3 52 Ga. Ap p . at 4 8 2 (1 ).

In l ig h t o f t h e ab o v e ci rcu m s t an ces , Ap p el l ee’ s M o t i o n t o Rem an d (as

am en d ed ) i s GRANTED. Th us , Ap p el l ee’ s Req ues t fo r Oral A r g u m en t i s

DISM ISSED AS M OOT; an d Ap pel l ee’ s M o t io n t o Ex ped i t e i s DISM ISSED AS

M OOT.

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

.

3 12/01/2023