# 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 0 A0 78 5 . CHARLI E BRANNER, J R. v . MI CHAEL W . GOW EN et a l

.

Ch arl i e Bran n er, J r., fi l ed a m an d am u s p et i t i o n s eek i n g t o co m p el t h e t r ia l co u rt

t o s ch ed u l e a h eari n g i n a cri m i n al m at t er. Th e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s sed t he p et i t i o n , an d

Bran n er fi l ed t h is d i rect ap p eal . W e l ack ju ri sd i ct i o n

. Th e rel ev an t fact s s h o w th at

, i n No v em b er 2 0 18

, Bran n er pl ed g u i l t y to s ev eral

cri m i n al ch arg es

. Sh o rt l y t h ereaft er, Bran ner fi l ed a m o t i o n t o wi th d raw h i s p l ea, an d

h e s o u g h t ap p o i n t m en t o f n ew co u n s el

. I n Ap ri l 2 01 9

, Bran n er fi l ed a p ro s e

m an d am u s p et i t i o n i n wh i ch h e s o u g h t t o co m p el t h e t ri al co u rt t o co n d u ct a h eari n g

o n hi s m o t i o n to wi th d raw h i s p l ea. Th e m an d am u s p et i ti o n w as as s i g n ed a n ew ci v i l

cas e n u m b er. Th e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed t h e pet i t i o n , an d Bran n er fi l ed a p ro se n o t i ce

o f ap p eal

. 1

Un d er t h e Pri s o n L i t i g at i o n R e f o r m A c t

, an y ap p eal i n a ci v i l cas e t h at was

i n i t i at ed by a pri so n er m

us t co m e b y d i s cret i o nary ap p l i cat i o n

. See OCGA § 4 2 -1 2 -8 ;

Jo n es v. To wn s en d

, 2 6 7 G a

. 4 8 9

, 4 9 0 (4 80 SE2 d 2 4 ) (1 9 9 7 ). Becau s e Bran n er i s

i n carcerat ed

, h e was req u i red t o fi l e an ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal i n o rd er

t o ap p eal t he ci v i l m a n d a m u s r u l i n g

. See Br o ck v. Ha rd ma n , 3 0 3 Ga. 72 9

, 7 3 1 (2 )

(8 1 4 SE2 d 7 3 6 ) (2 0 1 8 ).

1 Th e t ri al co u rt n o t ed t h at t h e h eari ng Bran ner s ou g ht t o co m p el h ad al read y

t ak en p l ace. Bran n er was rep res en t ed b y ap po i n t ed co u n s el at t h e h eari n g

. Th e t ri al

co u rt s u b s eq u en t l y d en i ed t h e m o t i o n t o wi th d raw t h e gu i l t y p lea, an d t h e ap p eal o f

t h i s ru li n g i s cu rren t ly

p en d i n g as Cas e Nu m

b er A2 0 A 0 4 2 4

. December 23, 2019Al t h ou g h t h e m an d am us p et i t i o n was g i v en a ci v i l cas e n u m b er, we n o t e t h at

t h e is s u es rai s ed p ert ai ned t o Bran n er’ s cri m i n al cas e. To t h e ex t en t th at t h e p et i t i o n

m ay b e co n s tru ed as a cri m i n al rat h er t h an a ci v il m at t er, Bran ner’ s n ot ice o f ap p eal

i s a n u l l it y b ecau s e h e i s rep res en t ed b y co u n s el i n h i s cri m in al cas e. See To l b er t v.

To o l e , 2 9 6 Ga. 3 5 7

, 3 6 3 (3 ) (7 6 7 SE2 d 24 ) (2 01 4 ) (“ A cri m i n al d efen d an t i n Geo rg i a

d o es no t h av e th e ri g ht t o rep res en t h i m s el f an d al so b e rep res en t ed b y an at t o rn ey ,

an d p ro s e fi l i n g s by rep res en t ed p art i es are t h erefo re u n a u t h ori zed an d wi t h o ut

effect .”); S

o b er a n i s v. S ta t e , 3 4 5 Ga. Ap p

. 4 0 3

, 4 0 5 (8 12 SE2 d 8 0 0 ) (2 0 1 8 ) (n o t i ce

o f ap p eal fi l ed b y

d efen dan t “ was a l eg al n u ll it y ”).

Fo r t h es e reas on s, we lack ju ri s d ict i o n o ver t h i s d irect ap p eal

, wh i ch is h ereb y

DISM 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 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

. 12/23/2019