In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: S e p te m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

S1 5 A0 7 68 . DEBTER, CAVEATOR v . S TEP HENS , EXECUTOR.

MELTON, Ju stic e

.

W i llia m N e ville S te p h e n s (“ Mr. S te ph e n s” ) h a d two c h ild re n wh o we re

b o rn ou t o f we d lo c k

, Fra n k De b te r a n d Vic k ie Este s. Mr. Ste p h e n s d ie d on Ap ril

2 7

, 20 1 1

, a fte r ha v in g e xe c u te d h is la st will a n d te sta m e n t o n Ja n u a ry 2 6

, 2 0 0 6

.

In h is will, Mr. S te p h e ns m a d e se v e ra l sp e c ific b e q ue sts o f m o n e y , an d h e le ft

th e re sid u e o f his e sta te to E ste s. He d id n o t m a ke De b te r a b e n e fic ia ry u n d e r th e

will. D e b te r file d a c a v e a t to e x e c u to r Ro y M ilto n S te p h e n s’ pe titio n to p ro b a te

Mr. S te ph e n s’ will in so le m n fo rm

, c h a lle n g in g th e v a lid ity o f th e w ill. De b te r

c la im e d th a t th e will wa s a p ro d u c t o f u nd ue in f l u e n c e a n d th a t Mr. S te p h e n s

in te nd e d fo r De b te r to sh a re in h is e sta te a s if he we re a fo r ma l l y l e g i t im a te d

c h ild

. Th e p ro b a te c ou rt re je c t e d De b te r’s c a v e a t, a n d De b te r a p p e a le d to th e

su p e rio r c o u rt. On c e th e re , th e e x e c u to r file d a m o tio n fo r su m m a ry ju d g m e n t

wh ic h th e su p e rio r c o u rt su m m a rily g ra n t e d o n Au g ust 2 1, 2 0 1 4. In ste a d o ffilin g a tim e ly n o tic e o f a p p e a l fro m th is ru lin g, o n S e p te m b e r 1 5

, 2 0 1 4

, De b te r

file d a m o tio n fo r n e w tria l, a sse rti n g th a t h e ha d d isc o v e re d n e w m a te ria l

e v id e n c e wh ic h u n d e rm in e d th e su p e rio r c o u rt’s su m m a ry ju d g m e n t d e c isio n

.

Th e tria l c o u r t d e n i e d De b te r’s m o tio n fo r n e w tria l o n No v e m b e r 6, 2 0 1 4

,

p ro m ptin g th e c u rre n t a

p p e a l. F o r th e re a so ns th a t fo llo w, th e a p p e a l m u st b e

d ism isse d

.

Wh e re a m o tio n fo r n e w tria l is n o t a p ro p e r v e h ic le fo r re v ie w o f

a tria l c ou rt' s a c tio n, th e m o tio n ha s n o va lid ity a n d w ill n o t e x te n d

th e tim e fo r fil i n g t h e n o tic e o f a p p e a l. S e e S a n d s [v

. La m a r

P ro p e rtie s, In c

. , 15 9 Ga

. Ap p

. 7 1 8 (2 8 5 S E 2 d 2 4 ) (1 9 8 1 )] (a pp e a l

d i s mi s s e d wh e re tria l c o u rt ru le d o n a d e c la ra to ry ju d g m e n t a s a

m a tte r o f la w); a nd

, S h in e v

. S p o rtse rv ic e Co rp

., 1 4 0 Ga

. A p p

. 3 5 5

(2 3 1 S E2 d 1 3 0 ) (1 9 7 6 ) (a p p e a l d ism isse d w h e re a

p p e l la n t so u g h t

re v ie w o f th e g ra n t of a su m m a ry ju d g m e nt with a m o tio n fo r n e w

tria l).

P illo w v

. Se y m o u r, 25 5 Ga

. 6 8 3, 6 8 4 (3 4 1 S E2 d 4 47 ) (1 98 6 ). In th is re g ard

,

“ [a ] m o tio n fo r n e w tria l is n o t th e p ro p e r v e h ic le to o b ta in a re -e x a m in a tio n o f

th e g ra n t o f su m

m a ry ju d g m e n t a n d a m o tio n so fi le d ha s n o v a lid ity a n d will

n o t e x te nd th e filin g d a te o f a n o tic e o f a p pe a l.” S h in e , su p ra . Be c a u se De b te r

d id n o t file h is n o tic e o f a p p e a l with in th irty d a y s o f th e tria l c o u rt’s su m m a ry

ju d g m e n t ru lin g a s re q u ire d b y OCGA § 5 -6 -3 8 (a ), a n d b e c a u se h is m o tio n fo r

n e w t r i a l w a s n o t a p ro p e r v e h ic le fo r re v ie w o f th e tria l c o u rt’s a c tio n

, h i s

2n o tic e o f a

p p e a l wa s u n tim e ly file d a n d th is a p p e a l m u st b e d ism isse d

. S e e

P illo w, su pra ; S h in e , su p ra

.

Ev e n if, un d e r th e u n iq u e c irc u m sta n c e o f n e wly d isc o v e re d e v id e n c e

b e in g in v o lv e d in a c a se

, a m o tio n fo r n e w tria l we re th e p ro p e r ve h ic le fo r

e x te n d in g th e tim e to a

p pe a l fro m a su m m a ry ju d g m e n t ru lin g

, th e tim e p e rio d

fo r filin g a n a

pp e a l in th e in sta n t c a se still wo uld n o t h a v e b e e n e x te n d e d

.

I n d e e d

, De b te r d id n o t p re se n t e v id e nc e th a t wo u ld q u a lify a s “n e w ly d isc o v e re d

e v id e n c e ” to c ha lle n g e th e g ra n t o f su m m a ry ju d gm e n t to th e e x e c u t o r

. H e

m e re ly pre se n te d e v id e n c e th a t h e sh o u ld h a ve

, b ut fa ile d to

, p ro du c e e a rlie r in

th e c a se in th e fo rm o f a ffid a v its fro m a n u m b e r of p e o p le a ve rrin g, a m o n g o th e r

th in g s, th a t t h e d e c e a se d o p e n ly a c k n o wle d g e d De b te r a s h is so n

, th a t h e

in te nd e d to in c lu de De b te r in th e will, a n d th a t in th e e n d th e d e c e a se d se e m e d

c o n fu se d a n d a d dle d

. S e e

, e .g

., S ta te v

. Ab e rn a th y

, 2 9 5 G a

. 8 1 6, 81 8 (1 ) ( 7 6 4

S E2 d 3 8 7 ) (2 0 1 4 ) (n e w tria l m a y b e g ra n t e d b a se d o n n e wly d isc o v e re d

e v id e n c e o n ly wh e re

, a m o n g o th e r th in g s, “ it wa s n ot o w in g to th e wa n t o f d u e

d ilig e n c e th a t [th e pa rty p u ttin g fo rth th e n e w e vid e n c e ] d id n o t a c q u ire [th e

e v id e n c e ] so o n e r” ) (c ita tio n a n d p u n c tu a tio n o m itte d ). F o r th is re a so n, we n e e d

n o t a d d re ss in th is c a se a n y issu e a s to wh e th e r a m o tio n fo r n e w tria l b a se d o n

3n e wly d isc o v e re d e v id e n c e c ou ld to ll th e tim e p e rio d fo r filin g a n o tic e o f a p p e a l

fo llo w i n g a su m m a ry ju dg m e n t ru lin g

, a n d th e c u rre n t a p p e a l m u st still b e

d ism isse d

.

Ap p e a l d ism isse d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c ur.

4