# 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 :

A 2 2 A 0 3 0 4

. I N RE THE ESTATE OF WI LLI E M AE BROCKI NGTON a / k / a
W I LLI E MAE BROCKI NGTON-J AMES, DECEASED.

Dav i d J o n at h an J am es , t he s u rv i v i n g s p o u s e o f th e d eced en t i n t h i s cas e, fi l ed

a p e t i ti o n fo r y ear’ s s u p po rt i n t h e Ch at h am Co u n ty Pro b at e Co u rt

. Ed war d

Bro ck i ng t o n , J r., an d T y ro n e E

. Bro ck i n g t o n fi l ed in t h e cas e (1 ) a cav eat t o t h e

p et i t i o n fo r y ear’ s s u pp o rt

, an d (2 ) a p et i t i o n t o p ro b at e wi l l i n s o l em n fo rm an d fo r

l et t ers o f ad m i n is t rat i o n

. Th e p ro b at e co urt i s s u ed an o rd er g ran ti n g t h e p et i t i o n fo r

y ear’ s s u p p o rt

, an d Ed ward an d Ty ro n e Bro ck i n g t o n fi l ed t h e i ns t an t d i rect ap p eal

. W e l ack ju ri sd ict i o n

. As a t hres h o l d m at t er, we n o t e t hat an o rd er of t h e Ch at h am Co u n t y Pro b at e

Co u rt m ay g en eral l y b e ap peal ed d i rect l y t o t h e Co u rt o f Ap p eal s

. 1 Ho wev er, t h e

o rd er m u s t b e fi n al

. See O CGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ) (ap peal s g en eral l y m ay b e t ak en fro m

“ [a] l l fi n al ju dg m en t s , t h at is t o s ay , wh ere t he cas e i s n o lo n g er p en d i n g i n th e co u rt

b el o w”); OCGA § 1 5 -9 -1 2 3 (a) (t h e p ro v i s i o n s o f Ch ap t er 6 o f Ti tl e 5 ap p l y to

p ro b at e ap peal s ). Here, t h e p et i t i o n t o p ro bat e wi l l i n s o l em n fo rm an d fo r l et t ers o f

ad m i n is t rat i o n fi l ed i n t h e y ear’ s s u p p ort cas e rem ai n s p en d i n g b el o w. Th erefo re, t h e

1 Un d er OCGA § 1 5 -9 -1 2 3 (a), a p art y in a ci vi l cas e i n “ p ro b at e co u rt ” s h al l

h av e t h e ri g h t o f ap peal to an ap p el l at e co u rt w i t ho u t fi rs t s eek i n g rev i ew i n s u p eri o r

co u rt

. See El l is v. J

o h n s o n , 2 9 1 Ga. 1 2 7

, 1 2 8 n .1 (1 ) (7 2 8 SE2 d 2 0 0 ) (2 0 1 2 ). A

“ p ro b at e co u rt ” i s defi n ed as “ a p ro b at e co u rt o f a co u n t y h av i n g a p o pu l at i o n o f m o re

t h an 9 0 ,0 0 0 p ers o n s acco rd i n g t o t h e Un i t ed St at es decen n i al cen s u s o f 2 0 1 0 o r an y fu t u re su ch cen s u s .” OCGA § 1 5 -9 -1 2 0 (2 ). As o f t h e 2 0 2 0 cen s u s , Ch at h am Co u n t y h ad a p op u l at i o n o f 2 9 5 ,2 9 1

. November 09, 2021ap p el l an t s were req u i red t o u s e t h e i nt erl o cu t o r y ap peal p ro ced ures

– i n cl u d i n g

o b t ai n i n g a cert i fi cat e o f i m m ed i at e rev i ew fro m t h e p ro b at e co u rt – t o o b tai n rev i ew

o f t h e o r d er g ran t i n g t h e p et i t i o n fo r y ear’ s s u pp o rt

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ); In r e

Es t a t e o f S ims , 2 4 6 Ga. Ap p . 4 5 1 , 4 5 2 -4 5 3 (5 40 SE2 d 6 5 0 ) (2 0 0 0).

Th e ap p el l an t s ’ fai l u re t o co m p l y wi t h t h e in terl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res

d ep ri v es u s o f j u r is d i ct i o n o v er t h i s p rem at u re di rect ap p eal

, w h i ch i s 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 t i f y 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 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

. 11/09/2021