# 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 2 A0 76 7

. I N RE ESTATE OF W I LLI E MAE J AMES a/ k / a W I LLI E MAE
BROCKI NGTON J A MES.

Dav i d J o n a t h a n J am es , t h e su rv i v i n g s po u s e o f d eced en t W il l ie M ae J am es , fi led a p et i t i on fo r a y ear’ s s up p o rt i n p ro b at e co u rt

. Th e d eced en t ’s s o n s , E d ward

Bro ck i ng t o n , J r., an d T y ro n e E. Bro ck i n g t o n (“ t h e Bro ck i n g t o ns ”), fi l ed i n t h e cas e

a cav eat t o t h e y ear’ s s u p po rt p et it i on an d a pet i t i o n t o h av e t h e w i l l p ro b at ed

. On

J u l y 2

, 2 0 2 1 , t h e p ro b at e co u rt g ran t ed Dav i d J am es ’ s p et i t i o n fo r a y ear’ s s u p p o rt

. Th e Bro ck in g t o n s ap p eal ed

, an d we d i s m i s sed t h e ap p eal as i n t e r l o c u t o ry b ecau s e

t h ei r p et i t i o n t o p ro b at e t h e wi ll rem ai n ed p en d i n g. (Cas e Nu m b er A2 2 A0 3 0 4

, No v.

9 , 2 02 1 ).

On N o v e m

b er 1 6

, 2 02 1

, aft er t h e cas e was ret u rn ed t o t h e t ri al co u rt

, t h e

Bro ck i ng t o n s fi l ed a v o l u nt ary d i s m is s al wi t h o u t p reju d i ce o f th ei r p ro bat e p et i t i o n,

wh i ch was t h e o n ly m at ter rem ai n in g i n t h e cas e. O n Decem b er 2, 2 0 2 1

, t h e

Bro ck i ng t o n s fi l ed t h i s d i rect ap p eal fro m t h e o rd er g ran t i n g t h e p et it i o n fo r a y ear’ s

s u p p ort . Dav i d J am es h as fi l ed a m ot i on t o d i s m i s s t h e ap p eal

. W e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

. “ A n o t ice o f ap p eal m u st b e fi l ed fro m an a

p p ea l a b l e

d eci s i o n o r ju d g m en t

, OCGA § 5 -6 -3 8[.]

. . . A v o l u n t ary di s m i s s al i s n o t a d eci s i o n

o r ju d g m en t t h at m ay b e ap peal ed b y a p l ai n t i ff.” W a ye v. Co n t i n en t a l S

p eci a l Ri s ks

, In c. , 2 8 9 Ga. Ap p

. 8 2

, 84 (6 56 SE2 d 1 5 0 ) (2 0 0 7 ); s ee al s o S t u d d a r d v. S a t ch er
, Ch i ck, Ka p f er
, In c. , 2 1 7 Ga. Ap p

. 1

, 3 (4 5 6 SE2 d 7 1 ) (1 9 95 ); Mi t ch el l v. W ya t t

, 1 9 2

Ga. Ap p

. 1 2 7

, 1 2 9 ( 1 ) ( 3 8 4 SE2 d 2 2 7 ) (1 9 89 ). Th i s i s s o b ecau s e “ o n e can n ot

co m p l ai n o f a ju d g m en t

, o rd er, o r ru l i n g t h at h i s o wn p ro ced ure or co n du ct p ro cu red

o r ai d ed i n cau si n g .” S t ud

d a r d

, 21 7 Ga. Ap p. at 3 (p u nct u at ion om it t ed ). Acco rd i n g l y , February 02, 2022a p art y can n o t u s e i ts o wn v o l u n t ary d i s m is s al as t h e v eh i cl e fo r o b t ai n i n g ap p el l at e

rev i ew o f ru li n gs en t ered b y th e t ri al co u rt m o re t han 3 0 d ay s b efo re t h e fi l in g o f t h e

n o t i ce o f ap p eal

. See W

a ye , 2 8 9 Ga. Ap p. at 8 4 ; S t u dd a r d , 2 17 Ga. Ap p . at 3

. Fo r t h es e reas on s , t h i s Co u r t i s wi t h o u t ju ri s d ict i on t o en t ert ai n t hi s ap p eal

. Th erefo re, t h e m o t i o n t o d is m i s s i s h ereb y GRANTED, an d t h e ap p eal i s

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 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

. 02/02/2022