SECOND DI VI SI ON

A NDREWS, P. J.

, M C F A D DEN and RA

Y, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a ls .us /r ule s /

Febr uar y 2, 2015



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 4 A2 26 6

. GEORGIA DEPARTM ENT OF HUM A N SERVICES

et al . v . DOUGHERTY COUNTY et al

.

R A Y , J u d g e.

Do u gh ert y Co u nt y , Geo rg i a, an d i t s s h eri ff, K e v i n Sp ro u l

, (t h e “ p lai n t i ffs ”)

f i l e d a co m

p l ai nt i n t h e Su peri o r Co u rt o f Do ug h ert y Co u n t y ag ai n s t th e Geo rg i a

Dep art m en t o f Hu m an Serv i ces an d t h e Di v is io n o f Ch i l d Su p p o r t Serv i ces (t h e

“ d efen d an t s ”) s eek in g t o reco v er s t at u t o ry s erv i ce o f pro ces s fees fo r ci vil act i o n s t h at

t h e d efen d an ts h ad in i t i at ed i n t h at co u rt

. Th e defen d an t s fi l ed an an s wer b y s p eci al

ap p earan ce an d si m

u l t an eo u s l y m o v ed t o d i sm i s s t h e co m p l ai n t on v ari o u s g ro u n d s ,

i n cl u d i n g i m

p ro p er v en u e. Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s an d i s s u ed a

cert ifi cat e o f i m

m ed i at e rev iew. Th e d efen d an t s n o w ap p eal

. Fo r t h e reas on s

ex p lai n ed b el o w, we rev ers e th e t ri al co u rt ’ s ru l i n g o n t h e i s s u e o f v en u e, v acat e t h erem ai n i n g p ort io n s o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er, an d rem an d t h e cas e wi t h d i rect i o n t h at

t h e cas e b e t ran s ferred t o t h e Su peri o r Co urt of Fu l t o n Co u n t y fo r fu rt h er p ro ceed i ng s

co n si s t en t wi t h t h i s o p i ni on

.

1

. T h e d efen d an ts co nt en d t h at t he t ri al co u rt erred i n d en y i n g t h ei r m o t i o n to

d i s m i s s o n t h e b as i s o f i m pro p er v en u e. W e ag ree.

In th i s cas e, th e p l ai n t i ffs al l eg e t h at t h e d efen d an t s h av e fai l ed t o co m p l y wi th

s u b s ect i o n s (b ) (1 ) an d (g ) o f OCGA § 1 5 -1 6-2 1

, wh i ch req u i res th e p art y wh o fi l es

a ci v il act i on t o pay th e s h eri ff o f t h at co u n t y a fee fo r s erv i n g a co p y o f p ro ces s

. As

t h e p l ai n t i ffs ’ cl ai m is ag ai n s t g o v ern m en t al ag en ci es o f t h e St at e of Geo rg i a an d

b ecau s e t h e leg is l at u re h as n ot carv ed o u t an y v en u e ex cep t io n fo r s u ch a cl ai m , we

fi nd th at t h e p ro per v en u e i n t h i s cas e l ies i n t h e co un t y wh ere t h e d efen d an t s res i d e

p u rs u an t t o Art . VI, Sec. II, Par. VI o f t h e Geo rg i a Co n s t i t u t i o n o f 1 9 8 3

.

A lthough the de f

e nd an t s m ai n tai n o ffi ces t h ro ug h o u t t h e St at e o f Geo rg i a, th ei r

p ri n ci p al o ffi ces are l o cat ed in Fu l t o n Co u n t y

. In m ak in g a d et erm i n at i o n o f v en u e

b as ed s o l el y o n t h e “ res i d en ce” o f a g o v ern m en t al dep art m en t o r ag en cy , wh ere t h ere

i s n o ap p l i cab l e co n s t i t u ti o n al o r s t at u t ory p ro v i s i o n to es t ab l is h v en ue el s ewh ere, we

h a v e hel d t h at “ i t can h ard l y b e d en i ed t h at Fu l to n Co u n ty

, t h e s i t e o f t h e St at e

Cap it o l an d s eat of g o v ern m en t as we l l a s l o cat i on o f t h e pri n ci pal o ffi ces o f t h e

2[d efen d an t s]

, i s an ap p ro p ri at e v en u e.” (Ci t at i o n om i t t ed .) Ho f f ma n v. Dep t

. of

Co r r ect io n s , 2 1 8 Ga. Ap p . 3 6 3 , 3 6 3 (4 6 0 SE2 d 8 8 2) (1 99 5 ).

In i t s ru l i n g o n v en ue, t h e t ri al co u rt rel i ed

, in p art

, o n S t a te Hi g hwa y Dep t

. v.

Pa r ker

, 75 Ga. Ap p

. 2 3 7 (4 3 SE2 d 1 7 2 ) (1 9 4 7 ), fo r t he p ro p os i t i o n t h at an y d i v i s i o n

o f s t at e g o v ern m en t t h at i s p res en t t h ro ug h ou t t h e s tat e “ co u l d b e s u ed i n an y co u n t y

o f G eo rg ia.” Id

. at 2 4 4

. Ho wev er, t h e t ri al co urt ’ s rel i an ce o n Pa r ker i s m i s p l aced

. In

t h at cas e, t h e i s s u e was wh et h er Park er co ul d b ri n g a cau s e o f act i o n d i rect l y ag ai n s t

t h e St at e Hi g h way Dep art m en t fo r d am ag es o ccu rri n g o n a h i g h way , w h en a s t at u t e

en act ed i n 1 9 3 3 p ro v i d ed t h at t h e o n l y way t h e Hi g h way Dep art m en t co u ld b eco m e

l i ab l e fo r a t o rt was if t h e co u nt y h ad b een n am ed as t h e d e f e n d a n t a n d th e co u n t y

b ro u gh t t h e H i g h way Dep art m en t i n t o t h e cas e t o d efen d t h e c l a i m

. I d

. at 2 3 8 -2 4 2.

In P a r k e r , w e n o t ed t h at a s t at u t e en act ed in 1 9 43 al l o wed t he p l ai n t iffs t o s u e t h e

Hi g hway Dep art m en t d i rect l y fo r a t o rt an d t h at s u ch a cl ai m co u l d b e b ro u g h t i n an y

co u nt y i n Geo rg i a wh erei n t h e t o rt cau s e o f act i o n a r o s e. 1 Id

. at 2 4 4 -2 45

. Pa r ker i s

i n ap p l i cab l e h ere b ecau s e t h e i n s t an t cas e d o es n ot i nv o l v e a t o rt cl ai m

. 2

1 Pri o r t o t h e 1 9 43 s t at u t e, s u ch cl ai m s co u l d o n ly b e b ro u gh t in t h e co u n ty o f

res i den ce o f a m em

b er o f t h e St at e Hi g hway Bo ard . Id . at 2 4 4

.

2 Ou r leg i s l at u re h as s i n c e e n act ed OCGA § 5 0 -2 1 -2 8

, w h i ch p ro v i d es , in

p ert i nen t p art

, t h at “ [a] l l t o rt act i o n s a g ai ns t t h e [S] t at e

. . . s h al l b e bro u g h t i n t h e

3Fo r t h e ab o v e reas o ns , t h e t ri al co u rt erred in fi n d i n g t h at ven u e was p ro p er in

Do u g h ert y

Co u n t y an d i n d en y i n g t h e d efen d an t s ’ m o t i o n t o d i sm i s s o n t h at b as i s

.

2

. A s v en u e d i d n o t l i e i n Do u g h ert y Co u n t y , t h e t ri al co u rt d i d n ot h av e t h e

au t h o ri t y t o ru l e o n t h e o t h er g ro u n d s rai s ed i n t h e d efen d an ts ’ m ot i on t o di s m i s s

. See

Ko o Pi l C

h u n g v. Ha i r Tr en d US

A, In c. , 3 2 2 Ga. Ap p

. 4 2 9

, 4 3 2 (7 4 5 SE2 d 6 8 1 )

(2 0 1 3) (“ A t ri al co urt wi t h o ut v en u e l ack s au t h o ri t y t o i s s u e an o rd er o r j u d g m en t

,

an d an y s u ch o rd er or ju d g m en t i s v o i d ”) (ci t at i o n o m i t t ed ). Acco rd Co a s t al

Tr a ns p o r t

, In c. v. Ti l l er

y , 2 7 0 G a

. A p p

. 1 3 5, 1 4 0 (3 ) (6 0 5 SE2 d 8 6 5 ) (2 0 0 4 ).

Th erefo re, t h e rem ai n i n g p o rt i o n s o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er are v acat ed

.

In t h ei r b ri ef o n t h e m o ti o n t o d i s m i s s , th e d efen d an t s sp eci fi ed t h at p r o p er

v en ue l i es i n Fu lt o n Co u n t y an d t h ey al t ern at i v el y as k ed t h at th e cas e be tran s ferred

t h ere. W hen i t i s d et erm i n ed t h a t v e n u e i s i m p ro p er, th e ap p ro p ri at e res p o n s e t o a

m o ti o n t o d i s m i s s i s t o t ran s fer t h e cas e t o t h e p ro p er v en u e. Co as t a l Tr a ns p o r t

, In c. ,

s u p ra. A cco rd i n g l y , we rem an d t h e cas e t o t h e t ri al co u rt wi t h d i rect i o n t h at it t ran s fer

t h i s cas e t o t he Su p eri or Co u rt o f Fu l t o n Co u n t y t o ad d r e s s th e m eri t s o f t h e

d efen d an t s ’ m o t io n t o d i s m i s s.

s t at e o r s u p eri o r co u rt o f t h e co u n t y wh erei n t h e l o ss o ccu rred [.] ”

43

. Bas ed o n o u r h o l d i n g i n D i v i s i o ns 1 an d 2

, we n eed n o t ad d res s t h e

d efen d an t s ’ rem ai n in g en u m erat i o n s o f erro r.

Ju d g men t r ever

sed i n p a r t a n d va ca t ed i n p a r t

, a n d ca s e rema n ded wi th

d i r ect i o n. An d

r ews , P. J., a n d McFa d

d en , J., co n cu r

.

5