# 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 7 D0 47 7 . CHRI STI NE METTER v . LONI D. METTER.

Th i s cas e was i n i t i at ed wh en Lo n i D. M et t er fi l ed a p et i t i o n s eek i n g t o ad o pt

h er t h ree m i n o r s t ep ch i l dren

. Ack no wl ed gi ng t h at t h e ch i l d ren ’ s bi o l og i cal m o t h er,

Ch ri s t i n e M et t er, w as al iv e, Lo n i D. M et t er fu rt h er s o u g h t i n h e r p et i t i o n t h e

t erm i n at i o n of Ch ri s t i ne M et t er’ s p a r en t al ri g h t s. On M ay 4

, 2 0 1 7, t h e t ri al co u rt

en t ered an ord er t erm i n at i n g Ch ri s ti n e M et t er’ s paren t al ri g h ts

, an d fu rt h er

d es i g n at i n g a t i m e fram e fo r s ch ed u l i n g a fi n al ad o pt i o n h eari n g

. Fr o m t h at o rd er, Ch ri s t i n e M et t er fi led t h e i n s t an t p ro s e d i s cret i o n ary

ap p li cat io n

. Sh e al s o h as fi l ed a m o ti o n fo r t he ap p o i n t m en t o f co u n sel

. Fo r reas on s

t h at fo ll o w, we l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

. Ord i n ari l y , a p art y s eek i ng t o ap p eal an o rd er t erm i n at i n g p aren t al ri gh t s m u s t

fi le an ap pl i cat i on fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal

. See O CGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (a) (1 2 ). Bu t wh ere,

as h ere, th e co nt es t e d o r d e r d i d n o t res o l ve al l i s s u es in t h e cas e, th e cas e rem ai n s

p en di n g i n t h e t ri al co u rt

. See O CGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ) (p ro vi d in g fo r a d i rect ap p eal

fro m a “ fi n al ju d g m en t[ ]

, t h at i s t o s ay , wh ere t he cas e is n o l o n g er p en d i n g i n t h e

co u rt b el o w”). Th u s , Ch ri s t in e Met t er was req u i red t o fo l l o w t h e i nt erl o cu t o ry ap p eal

p ro ced ure o f OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ). See Ba i l ey v. Ba i l ey , 2 6 6 Ga. 8 3 2 , 8 3 2-8 3 3 (4 7 1

SE2 d 2 1 3 ) (1 99 6 ); S

cr ug g s v. Ga

. Dep t

. o

f Hu ma n Res o ur ces , 2 6 1 Ga. 5 8 7

, 5 8 8 -5 8 9

(1 ) (4 0 8 SE2 d 1 0 3 ) (1 9 9 1 ); Pa r k v. Ba i l ey , 3 2 9 G a. Ap p. 5 6 9

, 5 71 (7 6 5 SE2 d 7 2 1 )

(2 0 1 4); Gr a

y v. Sp r i n g

s , 2 2 4 Ga. Ap p . 4 2 7 , 4 2 7 (4 8 1 SE2 d 3 ) (1 9 9 7 ). Becau s e s h e

d i d no t d o s o , we l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n t o co n s i der t h i s ap p l i cat i o n , w h i ch i s h ereb y June 19, 2017DISM ISSED. 1

Ch ri st i n e M et t er’ s m o t i o n fo r t he ap p oi n t m en t o f co u ns el i s acco rd i n g l y

DISM ISSED as M O OT. See In t h e In t er es t o f B. R. F ., 2 9 9 Ga. 2 9 4 , 2 9 8-2 9 9 (7 8 8

SE2 d 4 1 6 ) (2 0 16 ) (ex p l ai n i n g th at ap p el l at e co u rt co u l d n o t reach i s s u e co n cern i n g

wh et h er i n di g en t p aren t was en t i t l ed t o ap p o i n tm en t o f co u n sel

, wh ere p aren t fai l ed

t o p erfect ju ri s d ict i o n ).

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 i s 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 th 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

.

1 Bu t s ee Ro ko ws ki v. Gi l b er t

, 2 7 5 Ga. Ap p

. 3 0 5

, 3 0 5 (1 ) ( 6 2 0 SE2 d 5 0 9 ) (2 0 0 5) (ex pl ai n in g t h at a t im el y fi l ed n o t i ce o f ap peal fro m a fi n al ju d g m en t an d

d ecree o f ad o p t io n g av e ap pel l at e co u r t j u ri s d ict i o n t o co n si d er p rev io us o rd ers

en t ered i n cas e, i n cl u di ng an o rd er t erm i n at i n g th e b i ol o g i cal fat h er’ s paren t al ri g h t s ). 06/19/2017