# 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 A1 52 3 . CARA W I LLI AMS v . THE STATE.

Fo l l owi n g a ju ry t ri al

, Cara W i l l i am s was co n v i ct ed o f m u l t i p l e co u nt s , i n cl u d i n g fo rg ery i n t h e s eco n d d eg ree, fi n an ci al t ran s act i o n card t h eft

, ag g rav at ed

i d en t i t y frau d, an d m ak i n g fal s e s t at em en t s

. Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed h e r m o t i o n fo r a

n ew t ri al i n Feb ru ary 2 02 0

, an d W i l l i am s t hereaft er fi l ed p ro s e m o t i on s fo r an o u t -o ft i m e ap p eal

. Th e t ri al co urt d en i ed th o s e m o t i o n s i n A u g u s t 2 02 1

, an d W il l iam s fi l ed

a d i rect ap p eal fro m th at o rd er. On M ay 6

, 2 02 2

, t h i s Co u rt v acat ed t he t ri al co urt ’ s

o rd er d en y i n g th e m o t i o n f o r a n e w t r i al an d d i rect ed t h e t ri al co urt to en t er a n ew

o rd er, d i s m i s s i n g th e m o t i on s

. 1 W i l l i a ms v. St a t e , Cas e No

. A2 2 A0 4 0 4 (M ay 6

, 2 0 2 2 ).

W h i l e h er ap p eal i n Cas e No

. A2 2 A0 4 0 4 was p en d i ng , h o w ev er, W i l li a m s fi l ed a

“ s eco n d ary m o t i o n ” fo r an o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal

, seek i ng reco n s i d erat i on o f t h e t r i a l

co u rt ’ s d en i al o f h er earl i er m o t i o n s . On J an u ary 3 1, 2 0 2 2 , t h e t ri al co urt d i s m i s s ed

1 In d o i n g s o , we rel i ed o n th e Su p rem e C o u rt o f Geo rg i a’ s d eci s i o n i n Co o k

v. S t a t e , 3 1 3 Ga. 4 7 1 (8 7 0 SE 2 d 7 5 8 ) (2 0 2 2 ), wh i ch el i m i n at ed t h e ju d i ci al l y creat ed

o u t -o f-t i m e-ap p eal p ro ced u re an d h el d th at a t ri a l co u rt i s “ wi t h o u t ju ri s d i ct i o n to
d eci d e [a] m o t i o n fo r o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal ” o n t h e m eri ts b ecau s e “ th ere was an d i s n o l eg al au t h o ri t y fo r m o t i o ns fo r o u t -o f-t i m e ap peal i n t ri al co urt s

. ” 3 1 3 Ga. at 5 0 6 (5 ).

Co o k fu rt h er s t at ed t hat i ts h o l d i n g wo u l d a p p l y to “ al l cas es t h at are cu rren t l y o n d i rect rev i ew o r o t h erwi s e n o t y et fi n al [,] ” id

., an d d i rect ed t h at “ p en di n g an d fu t u re

m o ti o n s fo r o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal s i n t ri al co u rt s s ho u l d b e d is m is s ed

, an d t ri al co u rt

o rd ers t h at h av e d eci d ed s u ch m o t io n s o n t h e m eri t s

. . . sh o u l d b e v acat ed i f d i rect

rev i ew o f t h e cas e rem ai n s pen d i n g o r if t he cas e is o t h erwi s e n o t fi nal .” Id

. at 5 0 4 (4 ). June 16, 2022t h e m o t i o n fo r reco n s id erat i o n , an d W i l l i am s fi l ed th e cu rren t ap p eal o n M arch 9,

2 0 2 2 , s eek in g rev iew o f t h e d is m i s s al o rd er. W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct i on

. Fi rs t

, th e d en i al o f a m o t i o n fo r reco n s i d e rat i o n i s n ot it s el f a d i rect l y

ap p eal ab l e ju d g m en t. S e e St a t e v. W h i t e , 2 8 2 Ga. 8 59

, 8 6 0 (1 ) (6 5 5 SE2 d 5 7 5 )

(2 0 0 8). Seco nd

, ev en i f t h e d e n i al o f a m o t i o n fo r reco n s id erat i on was d i rect l y

ap p eal ab l e, a no ti ce o f ap p eal m u s t b e fi l ed w it hi n 3 0 d ay s o f en try o f t h e ju d g m en t

o r t ri al co u rt o rd er s o u gh t to b e ap peal ed

. OCGA § 5 -6 -3 8 (a). Th e pro p er an d t i m el y

fi li n g o f a n o t i ce o f ap peal i s an ab s o l u t e req u i rem en t t o co n fer ju ri s d i ct i o n o n t h i s

Co u rt

. Red

f o r d v. S t a te

, 3 5 7 Ga. Ap p

. 2 47

, 2 5 0 (8 50 SE2 d 4 4 7 ) (2 0 2 0 ). W i l l i am s , h o wev er, d i d n o t fi le t hi s ap peal u n t i l 3 7 d a ys a f t er en t ry o f t h e tri al co u rt ’ s o rd er,

m ak i n g t hi s ap p eal u n ti m el y

. Fi n al l y , o ur d eci s io n i n W i l l i am s ’ s earl i er ap p eal i n Cas e No

. A2 2A0 4 0 4 al s o

re q u i res t h at t h is ap p eal b e d i s m i s s ed

. Sp eci fi cal l y , W i l l i am s ’ s cu rren t ap p eal i s

b arred b ecau se s h e ag ai n s eek s t o ch al l en g e t h e d en ial o f her m ot i on s fo r an o u t -o ft i m e ap peal

. See Ja cks o n v. S t a t e , 2 7 3 G a. 3 2 0

, 3 20 (5 4 0 SE2 d 6 1 2 ) (2 0 0 1 ) (a p art y

“ i s n o t en t it l ed t o an ot h er b i t e a t t h e a p p l e b y way o f a s eco n d ap p eal ”); E ch o l s v.

S t a t e , 2 4 3 Ga. A p p. 7 7 5

, 7 76 (5 3 4 SE2 d 4 6 4) (2 0 00 ) (“ It i s ax i o m at i c t h at th e s am e

i s su e can n o t b e rel i ti g at ed ad i n fi n i t u m

. Th e s am e is t ru e o f ap p eal s of t he s am e i s s u e

o n t h e s am e g ro u n d s.”). Fo r al l o f t h es e reas o n s , t h is ap p eal is h ereb y D ISM 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

. 06/16/2022