# 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 :

A2 1 A0 94 6 . W ARREN COOMBS v . J ERE MOREHEAD et a l

.

Fo l l owi n g h i s ex p u l s io n fro m t h e Un i v ers i ty o f Geo rg i a, W arren Co o m b s s u ed

t h e Un i v ers i t y ’ s p res i d en t

, J ere M o o reh ead

, an d t h e Bo ard o f Reg en ts (co l l ect i v el y ,

“ t h e Un i vers i t y ”). Th e Un i v ers i t y fi l ed a m ot i o n t o d i s m is s t h e s u it

, w h i ch t h e t ri al

co u rt g ran t ed . Th i s ap p eal fo l l o wed

.

“ Al t h o u g h n o t rai s ed b y ei t h er p art y , i t i s o ur d u t y t o i n qu i re i n t o o u r ju ri s d i ct i o n i n an y ca s e i n wh i ch th ere m ay b e a d o u b t ab o ut t h e ex is t en ce o f s u ch
ju ri s d i ct i o n .” Hu nt v. Ca l l a ha n , 3 5 3 Ga. Ap p . 4 8 8

, 4 8 8 (2 ) (8 3 8 SE2 d 1 3 3 ) (2 0 2 0 )
(p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ).

Ord i n ari l y , a ri g h t o f d i rect ap p eal l i es fro m a fi n al j u d gm en t

, s e e OCGA §

5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ); h o wev er, an ap p el l an t is req u i red t o fi l e a n a p p l i c at i o n fo r a

d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal fro m a ju d g m en t o f a s u p eri o r co u rt rev i ewi n g th e d eci s i o n o f a

s t at e o r l o cal ad m i n i s trat iv e ag en cy

. See O CGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ); OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a)
(1 ), (b ). Ev en i f a p l ai n t i ff fi l es a d i rect act i o n i n s u p e r i o r c o u rt

, a d i s cret i o n ary

ap p li cat io n i s req u i red if, i n s ub s tan ce, t he p l ai n t i ff seek s ap p el l at e rev i ew o f an

ad m i n is t rat i v e d eci s i o n

. See Ha mr yka v. Ci t y o f Da ws o n vi ll e , 2 91 Ga. 1 2 4, 1 2 5 (2 )
(7 2 8 SE2 d 1 9 7 ) (2 0 1 2 ). “ A ‘ deci s i o n ’

, as i t is u s ed w i t h referen ce t o ad m in i s t rat i v e

ag en ci es , i s a det erm in at i o n of an ad ju di cat iv e n at u re

. N o f

o rm al ad ju d i cat i v e

p ro ced ure i s req u i red

. An ad m i n i s t rat i v e d e t e rm i n at i o n is ad j u d icat i v e i n ch aract er

i f it is p art i cu l ar an d i m m ed i at e, rat h er t h an , as in t h e cas e o f l eg is lat i v e o r ru l e

m ak i n g act i o n , g en eral an d fu t u re i n effect .” Cl a y v. Do u g l a svi l le-Do u g la s Co u n t y

W a t er & S ewer Au t h

. , 3 57 Ga. Ap p

. 4 3 4

, 4 3 6 (1 ) (8 4 8 SE2 d 7 3 3 ) ( 2 0 2 0 ) (ci t at i on s

a n d p u n c t u a t i o n o m it ted ). If a p l ai n t iff i n a ci v il act io n “ at t ack s o r defen d s t h e March 26, 2021v al i d i t y o f an ad m i n i s t rat i v e ru l i n g an d s eek s to p rev en t o r p ro m o t e t he en fo rcem en t

t h ereo f, th e t ri al co u rt m

u s t n eces s ari l y rev i ew t h e ad m i n i s t rat iv e d eci s io n ” t o d i s p o s e

o f t h e cas e. S t a t e o

f G a

. v. In t l

. Keys t o n e Kn i gh t s o f t h e Ku Kl u x Kl a n , 29 9 Ga. 3 9 2,

3 9 9 (4 ) (7 8 8 SE2 d 4 55 ) (2 0 1 6 ) (p u n ct u at i on o m i t ted ).

As a t h res h o ld m at t er, t he Bo ard o f Reg en t s i s co n si d ered a s t at e ad m in i s t rat i v e

ag en cy u n d er OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a) (1 ). See W o l f e v. Bo a rd

s o f Reg en ts o

f t h e Un i v.

S ys

. o f G eo r g i a , 3 0 0 Ga. 2 2 3

, 22 7 (2 ) (a) (7 9 4 SE2 d 8 5 ) (2 01 6 ). As t h e pres i d en t o f

t h e u n i v ers i ty

, M o o reh ead act ed o n b eh al f o f t h i s a g en cy

. See id

. at 2 2 9 (2 ) (c);

Keys t o ne Kn i

g h t s , 29 9 Ga. at 40 7 (4 ) (a) (d eci si o n m ad e by ch i ef ex ecu t i v e o ffi cer

o f a d ep art m en t co n s t i t u t es t h e ag en cy ’ s d eci s io n ). Th u s , t he rel ev an t i n q u i r y i s

wh et h er Co o m

b s s o u gh t t o ap peal t h e ag en cy ’ s ad m i ni s t rat i ve d eci s i o n

. Acco rd i ng t o Co o m

b s ’ s co m p l ai n t

, M o o reh ead s en t h i m a l et t er in fo rm i n g h i m

o f h i s ex p u l s i o n

. Co o m

b s th en p u rs u ed an ad m i n i s t rat i v e ap p eal

. A ft er ex h au s t i n g h i s

ad m i n is t rat i v e rem ed ies

, Co o m b s fi l ed s u i t i n s u p eri o r co u rt

. Co o m b s s ou g h t

, am o n g

o t h er t h i n g s , t o h av e h is ex p u l s i o n s e t a s i de. In o t h er wo rd s , Co o m bs was s q u arel y

at t a c k i ng th e ad m i n is t rat i v e d eci si o n t o ex p el h i m

. Un d er th es e ci rcu m s t an ces , Co o m b s was req u ired t o fi l e an ap p li cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal i n o rd er to o b t ai n

ap p el l at e rev i ew. See W

ol f e , 3 0 0 Ga. at 2 32 -2 3 3 (2 ) (d ). Hi s fai l u re to do s o d ep ri v es

u s o f ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er t h i s ap p eal , wh i ch i s h ereb y DISM ISSED.

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 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

. 03/26/2021