# 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 38 6

. DONNA MI C HELLE NELSON et a l

. v. GLORI A CAYE V I CTOR,

I N HER OFFI CI AL CAPACI TY A S ADMI NI STRATOR OF THE
ESTATE OF SI DNEY R. J ONES.

Gl o ri a Vi ct o r, ad m i n is t rat o r o f t h e es tat e o f Si d n ey R. Jo n es , fi l ed a fi v e-co u nt

co m p l ai n t ag ai ns t Do n n a Nel s o n an d t h ree o th er d efen d an t s , ari s i n g o u t o f Nel s o n ’ s

o ccu py in g J o n es ’ s h o m e fo l l owi n g h i s d eat h an d Nel s o n’ s at t em p t s t o t ran s fer

o wn ers hi p o f t he h o m e an d o t h er p ro p ert y of J o n es ’ s t o h ers el f. Th e co m p l ai nt

i n cl u d ed cl ai m s fo r i nju nc t i v e rel i ef (Co u nt 1 ), d ecl arat o ry rel i ef (Co u n t 2 ), wri t o f

p o s s es s i o n , i n cl ud i n g a cl ai m fo r ren t (Co u n t 3 ), co nv ers i o n (Co u n t 4 ), an d l i t i g at i o n

ex p en s es (Co u n t 5 ).

F ollow ing the de f

e nda n ts’ f ai l u re t o res p o nd t o i n t erro g at ori es an d co m p l y wi th

t h e co u rt ’ s d i s co v ery

o rd er, t h e co u rt en t ered an o rd er o n M arch 2 6

, 2 0 2 1 , g ran t i n g

t h e p l ai nt i ff’ s m o ti o n t o st ri k e t h e d efen d an t s ’ p l ead i n g s p urs u an t t o O CGA § 9 -1 1 -3 7
(d ) (1 ), en t eri n g d efau lt ju d g m en t ag ai n s t t h e defen d an t s, an d award i ng di s co v ery

rel at ed ex p en s es an d at t o rn ey fees t o t h e p l ai n ti ff. Th e o rd er i n s t ru ct ed t he p l ai n t i ff

t o s u b m i t an i t em izat i o n o f ex p en s e s a n d f e es , wh i ch s h e d i d

, an d t h e d efen d an t s

o b ject ed

. A h eari ng was h el d o n t h e ap p l i cat i o n fo r ex p en s es an d at t orn ey fees an d o t h er

m a t t ers

. Fo l l o wi n g t h e h eari n g , o n J u n e 9

, 2 0 2 1

, t h e co urt en t ered (1 ) an o rd er

award i n g at t o rn ey fees t o th e p l ai n t iff fo r d i s co v ery -rel at ed ex pen s es , an d (2 ) a “ fi n al
ju d g m en t g ran ti n g p erm an en t i n ju n ct i o n , d ecl arat o ry j u d gm en t, an d wri t o f

p o s s es s i o n ,” i n wh i ch t h e co u rt s t at ed

, am o n g o t h er t h i n g s, th at

, i n acco rd an ce wi th

t h e M arch 26 o rd er, t h e d efen d an t s are res t rai n ed an d en jo i n ed fro m v ari o u s act i o n s

. March 10, 2022Nei t h er J u n e 9 o rd er ad dres s ed t h e p l ai n t i ff’ s cl ai m fo r ren t in Co u n t 3 ; Co u n t 4

, t h e

co n vers io n cl ai m ; o r Co u n t 5

, t he cl ai m fo r l i t i g at i o n ex p en s es fo r t h e en ti re cas e. Th e

d efen d an t s fi l ed a d i rect ap p eal fro m t h e M arch 2 6 o rd er an d t he t wo J un e 9 o rd ers

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

. “ In a cas e i n v o l vi n g m u l t i p l e p art i es o r m

u l ti p l e cl ai m s ,

a d eci s i o n ad

ju d i cat i n g f

e w er t h an al l t h e cl ai m s o r t he ri g ht s an d l iab i l i t i es o f l es s

t h an al l t h e p art i es is n o t a fi n al ju d g m en t .” (Pu nct u at i o n an d ci ta t i o n o m i t t ed .)

Jo h ns o n v. Ho sp

. Co rp

. o f Amer i ca , 1 9 2 Ga. Ap p

. 6 2 8

, 62 9 (3 8 5 SE2 d 7 3 1 ) (1 9 8 9 ).

In s u ch ci rcu m s tan ces , t h ere m u s t b e ei th er an ex p res s d et erm i n at io n u n d er OCGA

§ 9 -1 1 -5 4 (b ) o r co m

p li an ce wi t h t h e i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal req u i rem en t s o f OCGA §

5 -6 -3 4 (b ). Id

. If n ei t h er o f th es e co d e s ect i on s i s fo ll o w ed , t h e ap p eal i s p rem at u re

an d m u s t b e d i s m i s sed

. Id

. Here, th e o rd ers t h e d efen d an ts s eek t o ch al l en g e are n o t fi n al

. Th e M arch 2 6

o rd er was a d efau l t ju dg m en t as t o li ab i l i t y , b u t n o t a s t o d am ag es

. Th e co u rt l eft

p en di n g t h e am o un t o f d am ag es i n Co un t s 3

, 4, an d 5

, wh i ch ren d ers t h e o rd er

i n t erl o cu t o r y. S ee OCGA § 9 -1 1 -5 5 (a); Nea l v. S t a te

, 1 8 2 Ga. A p p

. 3 7 (3 5 4 SE2 d

6 6 4 ) (1 9 8 7 ). Si m i l arl y , t h e J un e 9 “ fi n al ju d g m en t ” rei t erat ed l i ab i l i t y a s t o Co u n t s

1

, 2

, an d 3

, b u t d i d n o t ad d res s t h e ren t cl ai m of Co un t 3 o r Co u n t s 4 o r 5 at al l

. Li k ewi se, t h e d efen d an t s were req u i red t o fo ll o w t h e i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res

t o ap p eal t h e J u n e 9 at to rn ey fee award

. See Ei d s on v. Cr ou t c h

, 3 3 7 Ga. Ap p

. 5 4 2,

5 4 3-5 4 5 (7 8 8 SE2 d 1 2 9 ) (2 01 6) (wh ere at t o rn ey fees o rd er i s i s su ed p ri o r t o f i n a l
ju d g m en t

, p art y s eek i n g ap pel l at e rev i ew m u s t fo l l o w i n t erl ocu t o ry ap p eal

p ro ced ures ).

In t h e ab s en ce o f an ex p res s d et erm i n at i o n u nd e r OCGA § 9 -1 1 -5 4 (b ) o r

co m p l ian ce wi t h th e i nt erl o cu t o ry ap peal pro ced u res , we l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er t h i s

ap p eal fro m t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s n o n fi nal o rd ers

. Acco rd i n g l y , t hi s ap p eal is h e r e by

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 t i f y t h a t t h e a b o v e i s a tr 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

. 03/10/2022