2 9 6 Ga . 6 41

F INAL COP Y

S 1 4 A1 8 8 2 . WHITF IELD v . CITY OF ATLANTA e t a l.

HUNS T EIN, Ju stic e

.

Ja m e s Wh itfie ld file d su it a g a in st th e City o f Atla n ta a n d Se c u re P a rk in g

En fo rc e m e n t, LLC (“ S P E ” ) a fte r his c a r wa s b oo te d in No rth e a st Atla n ta wh ile

ille g a lly p a rk e d in a lo t re se rv e d fo r c u sto m e rs o f a d ry c le a nin g b u sin e ss. In h is

c o m p la in t, Wh itfie ld so ug h t a de c la ra tio n th a t th e City o r d i n a n c e a u th o riz in g

a n d re g u la tin g v e h ic le im m o b iliz a tio n is u n c o nstitu tio na l a n d th a t th e p ra c tic e

o f b o o tin g is th u s u n la wfu l. In th e a lte rn a tiv e

, Wh itf i e l d c o n te n d e d th a t th e

sig na g e in th e p a rk in g lo t wh e re S P E h a d b o o te d h is c a r fa ile d to c o m p ly with

c e rta in sp e c ific a tio n s p re sc rib e d in th e v e hic le imm o biliz a tio n o rd in a nc e

, th u s

e n titlin g h im to re c o v e r a s d a m a g e s th e c o s t o f r e mo v in g th e im m ob iliz a tio n

d e v ic e

.

Bo th d e fe n d a nts a n swe re d th e c o m p la in t, and th e C ity m o v e d to d ism iss

fo r fa ilu re to sta te a c la im

. Th e re a fte r, th e tria l c o u rt g ra n te d th e City ’s m o tio n

to d ism iss a n d o rd e re d S P E, wh o se a n swe r h a d b e e n file d b y its o wn e r, a n o n

la wy e r, to o b ta in c o u n se l to e n te r a n a p pe a ra n c e b y a

d a te c e rta in . Wh e n S P Ef

a ile d to d o so

, th e tria l c o u rt stru c k S P E’s a n swe r a n d

, fo llo win g a h e a r i n g

,

e n te re d a d e fa u lt ju d g m e n t a g a in st S P E fo r th e $ 7 5 c o st o f re m o v in g th e b o o t,

p lu s c ou rt c osts. In its fin a l o rd e r, th e tria l c ou rt e x p re ssly re je c te d Wh itfie ld ’s

c o n te n tio n th a t th e o rd in a n c e is u nc o n stitu tio n a l.

De sp ite h a v i n g p re v a ile d o n h is d a m a g e s c la im

, Wh itfie ld n o w a p p e a ls,

c o n te n d in g th a t th e tria l c o u rt e rre d in d ism issin g th e City fro m th e su it a n d in

d e te rm in in g th a t th e v e hic le im m o b iliz a tio n o rd in a n c e is c o n stitu tio n a l. We

n o w ho ld th a t th e tria l c ou rt e rre d in c o n sid e rin g th e m e rits o f Wh itfie ld ’s

c o n stitu tio n a l c h a lle ng e

, b e c a u se W h itfie ld did n o t pro p e rly p re se n t th e

o rd in a n c e

, n o r wa s th e o rd in a n c e o th e rwise m a d e p a rt o f th e re c o rd in th is c a se

.

We t h u s v a c a te th a t po rtio n o f th e ju d g m e nt b e lo w; in a ll o th e r re sp e c ts, we

a ffirm

.

City a n d c o un ty o r d i n a n c e s m u st b e a lle g e d a n d p ro v e n in ord e r to b e

c o n sid e re d b y th e su p e rio r a n d a p p e lla te c o u rts o f th is S ta te

. Da v is &

S h u lm a n ’s Ge o rg ia P ra c tic e & P ro c e d u r e

, § 7:9 (2 0 1 4 -2 0 1 5 e d .). Th e p ro p e r

m e th o d o f p ro v in g a c ity o rd in a n c e is p ro d u c tio n o f th e o rig in a l o rd in an c e o r a

c e rtifie d c o p y th e re o f. Th o rse n v

. S a b e r, 2 8 8 Ga

. 1 8 (1 ) (7 0 1 S E2 d 1 3 3 ) (2 0 1 0);

se e a lso OCGA § 2 4

- 2

- 2 2 1 (ju d ic ia l no tic e m a y b e ta k e n o f c e rtifie d c o p y o f

2o rd in a n c e ); Le g e r v. Ke n Ed wa rd s En te rp rise s, In c

., 22 3 Ga

. 53 6 (2 ) (1 56 S E2 d

6 5 1 ) (1 9 6 7 ) ( u n c e rtifie d c o p y o f o rd in a n c e a tta c h e d to u n ve rifie d p le a d in g s h e ld

in su ffic ie n t to p ro v e e x iste n c e o f o rd in a n c e ). Ne ith e r th e su pe rio r c o u rts n o r th e

a p p e l l a te c o urts c a n a d

ju d ic a te a c la im o r de fe n se ba se d o n a c ity o rd in a n c e

u n le ss th e o rd in a n c e h a s b e e n p ro p e rly p re se n te d. S e e , e .g

., Th o rse n

, 2 8 8 Ga

.

a t 1 8 -1 9 (d e c l i n in g to c o n sid e r e n u m e ra tio n o f e rro r b a se d on o rd in a n c e n o t

a p p e a rin g in th e re c o rd ); S try k r v

. Lo n g Co u n ty Bd

. of Co m mrs., 2 7 7 Ga

. 6 2 4

(6 ) (5 9 3 S E2 d 3 4 8 ) (2 0 0 4 ) (d e c lin in g to a d d re s s a p p e lla n t’s c o n stitu tio n a l

c h a lle ng e to po rtio n s o f c o un ty o rd in a n c e th a t w e re n ot p le d a nd p ro v e n ); Le ge r,

2 2 3 Ga

. a t 5 3 9 (tria l c o u rt p ro pe rly de c lin e d to issu e in ju n c tio n b a se d o n a lle g e d

v io la tio n o f o rd in a n c e th a t wa s n o t in tro du c e d in e v id e nc e ).

He re

, th e City o f Atla n ta ’s v e h ic le im m o b iliz a tio n o rd in a n c e a p p e a rs

n o wh e re in th e re c o rd

. No t o n ly is th e re n o c e rtifie d c o p y o f th e o rd in a n c e

,

th e re is n o c o p y a t a ll. All th a t a p p e a rs in th e ple a d in g s re g a rd in g th e e x iste n c e

a n d su b sta n c e o f th e o rd in a nc e a re g e n e ra l re fe re nc e s th e re to a n d wh a t pu rp o rts

to b e a q u o te

, in Wh itfie ld ’s u n v e rifie d c o m p la in t, fro m a sin g le se c tio n o f th e

o rd in a n c e re g a rd in g sig n a g e re q u ire me n t s, w h ic h do e s n o t itse lf a uth o riz e

v e h ic le i mmo b iliz a tio n

. With o u t p ro p e r p re se n ta tio n o f th e o rd in a nc e

, it is

3im

p o ss i b l e to a d

ju dic a te th e c o n stitu tio n a lity th e re o f, a n d th e su p e rio r c o u rt th u s

e rre d in p u rp o rtin g to d o so

. S e e S try k r, 2 7 7 Ga

. a t 6 2 6 ; se e a lso T h orse n

, 2 8 8

Ga . a t 1 8 -1 9; Le ge r, 2 2 3 Ga . a t 5 3 9

.

Th o ug h we a re c o m

p e lle d to v a c a te th e ju d g m e n t b e lo w a s it re la te s to th e

c o n stitu tio n a lity o f th e v e h ic le im m o b iliz a tio n o rd in a n c e

, w e n e e d n o t d istu rb

th e c o u rt’s d e c isio n d ism issin g th e City fro m th e su it. A s a c k n o wle d g e d in

Wh itfie ld ’s c om

p la in t, th e City h a d a n in te re s t i n th is p ro c e e din g o n ly to th e

e x te n t th a t th e c o n stitu tio na lity o f its v e h ic le im m o biliz a tio n o rd in a nc e wa s a t

issu e

. S e e OCGA § 9 -4 -7 (b ) (m u n ic ip a lity “sh a ll b e m a d e a p a rty ” in a n y

p ro c e e d in g se e k in g a d e c la ra tio n a s to th e v a lid ity of its o rd in an c e s). Be c a use

Wh itfie ld ’s c o n stitu tio n a l c h a lle n ge is n o t v ia b le d u e to h is fa ilu re to p ro p e rly

a lle g e th e ord in a n c e

, th e City h a s no sta k e in th e litig a tio n

. Th us, p re te rm ittin g

w h e th e r th e tria l c o u rt pro p e rly d ism isse d th e c o m p la in t a ga in st th e City fo r

fa ilu re to sta te a c la im

, we af f i r m t h e City ’s d ism issa l fro m th e su it u n d e r th e

rig h t fo r a n y re a so n ru le

. S e e P o lic e Be ne v o le n t Assn

. v

. Bro wn

, 2 6 8 Ga

. 2 6 (2 )

(4 8 6 S E2 d 2 8 ) (1 9 9 7 ) (ju d g m e n t th a t is rig h t fo r a n y re a so n will b e a ffirm e d ).

Ju d g m e n t a ffirm e d in p a rt a n d v a c a te d in p a rt. All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

4De c id e d F e bru a ry 2

, 2 01 5

– Re c o n sid e ra tio n d e n ie d Ma rc h 2 , 2 0 1 5

.

Ord in a n c e

. F u lto n S u p e rio r Co urt. Be fo re Ju dg e De m p se y

.

Ja m e s Wh itfie ld , p ro se

.

Ca th y Ha m

p to n , La u ra S . Bu rto n , Ve ro n ic a

L. Ho ffle r, fo r a

p p e lle e s.

5