# 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 :

A1 6 A1 79 5

. W ANDA CORLEY HAI GHT et a l

. v. TRANSCONTI N ENTAL

GAS PI PE LI NE COMPANY, LLC.

Tran s co nt i n en t al Gas Pi p el i n e Co m p an y

, LLC, wh i ch p l an s t o b u i ld a n at u ral

g as p ip el i n e i n n o rt h G e o r g i a

, s u ed m u l t i p l e part i es wh o own p ro pert y i n t h e

p i p el i n e’ s p ro p o s ed p at h fo r acces s t o t h ei r l an d t o co nd u ct ci v i l

, en v i ro n m en t al

, an d

cu l t u ral -res o u rce s u rv ey s req u i red by fed eral l aw. T r an s co n t i n en t al l at er fi l ed a

m o ti o n fo r a p rel i m i n ary i n j u n ct i o n al l o wi ng i t t em

p o rary acces s t o t h e p ro p ert i es

.

Fo l l o wi ng a h eari n g

, t h e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed Tran s co n ti n en tal ’ s m o t i o n

. Th e co urt ’ s

o rd er p ro v i d ed t h at “ [t ] h i s i n terl o cu t o ry rel i ef s h al l ex p i re 1 80 d ay s fro m t h e d at e o f

t h i s ord er, Mo nd ay

, Ap ri l 4

, 2 0 1 6 .” Th e Ci t y of A t lan t a, o n e o f t h e d efen d an t s

, fi l ed

a m o t i o n t o s tay en fo rcem en t of t h e p rel im in ary i n ju n ct i o n p en di n g an ap p eal

, b u t t h e

t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h at m ot i o n

.

Fi v e o f th e d efen d an t s (co l l ect i v el y

, “ t h e Co rl ey s ”) fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal to

t h e Su p rem e Co urt i n d i cat i n g t h ei r wi s h t o ap p eal t h e o rd ers g ran t i n g

Tran s co n t i nen t al ’ s prel i m in ary i n j u n ct i o n an d den y i n g t h e Ci t y ’ s req u es t fo r a s t ay

.

Th e ap p eal was d ock et ed i n t h e Su p rem e Co u rt o n March 3

, 2 01 6

. Tran sco n t i n en t al

fi led a m o t io n t o d i s m is s

, arg ui n g t h at t he ap peal was m o o t b ecau s e t h e s urv ey s h ad

b een co m p l et ed an d th e i n

ju n ct i o n o rd er had ex p i red by i ts o wn term s

. Th e Co rl ey s

r e s p o nd ed t hat t he ap p eal was n o t m o o t b ecau se th ey h ad been harm ed b y

Tran s co n t i nen t al ’ s i n t ru s i o n o nt o t h ei r l an d

, Tran s co nt in en t al co u l d s eek ad d i t i o n al

s u rv ey s i n t h e fu t ure, an d t h e i s s u es p res en t ed h ere were cap ab l e o f rep et i t i o n y et

ev ad ed rev i ew.

Th e Su p rem e Co u rt d i d n o t ex p res s l y ru le o n Tran s co n t i n en t al ’ s m o t i o n to January 25, 2017d i s m i s s

. In s tead

, o n Ap ri l 2 6

, 2 0 1 6

, t h at Co urt en t ered an ord er t ran sferri n g t h e cas e

h ere o n t he g ro u n d t h at s u b ject -m at t er ju ri s d i ct i o n li es i n t h i s C o urt

. Th e Su p rem e

Co u rt ’ s t ran s fer o rd er p ro vi d es , i n rel ev an t p art :

Ap p el l an t s fi l ed a n o t i ce o f ap p eal d i rect ed t o t h i s Co u rt

, as s ert i ng t hat

ju ri s di ct i o n was p ro per in t h i s Co u rt p u rs u an t t o i t s ju ri s d i ct i o n ov er

eq u i ty cas es

. Ho wev er, a s th e i n ju n ct i o n i s s u e i s n o w mo o t

, a n d th e

o n l y cl ai m s st i l l p en d i n g o n ap p eal i m p l i cat e t h e ju ri s d i c t i on o f th e

Co u rt o f Ap p eal s, n ot t h i s Co u rt

, t h i s ap peal h ereb y is t ran s ferred t o th e

Co u rt o f Ap p eal s [.]

(Em p h as i s s u p p li ed .)

W e n o w ad d res s Tran sco n ti n en t al ’ s m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s

. Des pi t e t h e Co rl ey s ’

a r g u m en t s t hat t he ap p eal i s n o t m o o t, t h e Su p rem e Co u rt res o l v ed th i s i s s u e

ad v ers el y t o th em

. “ [T] h e l aw o f t h e cas e ru l e m a k e s a n y r u l i n g b y t h e Su p rem e

Co u rt b i n d i n g i n al l s u b seq u en t p ro ceed i ng s i n th at cas e i n t h e lo wer co u rt s

. ” S h a d i x

v. Ca r r o l l Co u n t

y

, 2 74 Ga. 5 6 0

, 56 2 (1 ) (5 5 4 SE2 d 4 65 ) (2 0 0 1) (p u nct u at i o n an d

fo o t n o t e o m i t t ed ). “ It i s ap o d i ct i c t h at Geo rg i a’ s ap p el l at e co u rt s are req u i red to

ad h ere t o t he l aw o f t h e cas e ru l e i n al l m at t ers wh i ch t h ey co n s i d er.” Secu r i t

y Li f e

In s

. Co

. o f Am. v. Cl ar k

, 2 7 3 Ga. 4 4

, 4 6 (1 ) (5 3 5 SE2 d 2 3 4 ) (2 0 0 0 ). W e are b o u n d

b y t h e Su p rem e Co u rt ’ s ru li n g t h at “ t h e i n j u n ct i o n i s s u e i s n o w m o o t.” Th e o n l y

o t h er i s s u e o n ap p eal ap p ears t o b e t h e Ci t y’s r e q u e s t f o r a s tay o f th e i nju n ct i o n

p en di n g ap p eal , wh i ch l i k ewi s e i s m o o t

. 1

Pu rs uan t t o OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (b ) (3 ), an ap peal wi l l b e d i s m i s s ed i f t h e q u es t i o n

p res en t ed h as b eco m e m o o t. A c co rd i n g l y

, Tran s co n t i n en t al ’ s m o t i on t o di s m i s s i s

GRANTED, an d t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED.

1 In t h ei r ap p el lat e b ri efi n g

, t h e Co rl ey s cl ai m t h at Tran s co n t i n en t al d am ag ed

t h ei r l an d wh i l e co n d u ct i n g i t s su rv ey s

. Bu t th e Co rl ey s h av e n o t as s ert ed a cl ai m fo r

d am ag es

, an d t h e t ri al co u rt has m ad e n o r u l i n g res p ect i n g d am ag es

. Acco rd i n g l y

,

t h e i s s ue o f d am ag es i s n o t b efo re u s.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

. 01/25/2017