# 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 D0 36 5 . GARY FORD v . THE STATE.

On Au g u st 2 5

, 2 0 0 9, Gary Fo rd p l ed g u i l ty t o ag g rav at ed b at t ery , ro b b ery by

fo rce, an d b at t ery

. Fo rd s u b seq uen t l y fi l ed a n u m b er o f m o t i o n s t o v acat e, wh i ch t h e

t ri al co u rt d en i ed

. M o s t recen tl y , Fo rd fi led a “ Pet i t i o n fo r Eq ui tab l e Rel i ef fro m

J u d g m en t D u e t o Frau d ,” wh ich t h e t ri al co u rt co n s t ru ed as a m o ti o n to v acat e. Th e

t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n o n Ap ri l 5

, 2 0 1 6

, an d Fo rd fi l ed t h i s d irect ap p eal

. W e

l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

“ [A] p et i t io n t o v acat e o r m o d i fy a j u d gm en t o f co n v i ct i o n i s n o t an ap p ro p ri at e

rem ed y i n a cri m i n a l c a s e

. ” H a r p er v. S t a t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 16

, 21 8 (1 ) (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 )

(2 0 0 9). An y ap p eal fro m an o rd er d en y in g o r d i s m i s s i n g s uch a m o ti o n m u s t b e

d i s m i s s ed

. See i d

. at 2 1 8 (2 ); Ro b er t s v. S t at e , 2 8 6 G a. 5 3 2

, 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0 )

(2 0 1 0). A d i rect ap p eal m ay l i e fro m an o rd er d en y i n g a m o t i o n to v acat e o r co rrect

a v oi d s en t en ce, b u t on l y i f t h e d efen d an t rai s es a co l o rab l e cl ai m th at t h e s en t en ce

i s , i n fact

, v o i d

. See Ha r

p er , s u p ra at 2 1 7 n

. 1 ; Bu r g v. S t a t e , 2 9 7 Ga. Ap p

. 1 1 8

, 1 1 9

(6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5) (2 0 0 9 ). “ M o t i o n s t o v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce g en eral l y are l i m i t ed to

cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as s u m i n g t he ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f t h e co n v i ct i on fo r wh i ch t h e

s en t en ce was im

p o s ed

– t he l aw d o es n ot au t h o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m o s t t y p i cal l y

b ecau s e i t ex ceed s t he m o st sev ere p u n i s hm en t fo r wh ich t h e ap p l i cab l e pen al s t at u t e

p r o v i d e s

. ” vo n Th o ma s v. S t at e , 2 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 0 1 3 )

. Acco rd in g ly

, wh en a s en t en ce i s wi t h i n t h e s t at u t o r y ran g e of p u n i s h m en t

, i t i s n ot

v o i d

. Jo n es v. S t a t e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 6 9 , 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4).

H ere, Fo rd d o es n o t arg u e t h at h i s s en t en ce ex ceed ed leg al l i m it s ; r a t h e r , h e

cl ai m s , am o n g o t h e r a rg u m en t s , t h at h e was frau d u len t l y i n d ict ed an d recei v ed May 25, 2016i n effect i v e as s i s t an ce o f co u ns el

. Th es e are ch al l en g es t o t he v a l i d i t y o f h i s

co n vi ct i o n s , n ot h is s en t en ce. See Br o wn v. St a te

, 2 97 Ga. Ap p. 73 8 (6 7 8 SE2 d 1 7 2 )

(2 0 0 9) (ch al l en g e al l eg i ng i n effect i v e as si s t an ce o f co u n s el d oes n o t as s ert a g ro u n d

u p o n wh i ch a co nv i ct i on can b e d ecl ared v o id ); Jo n es v. S t at e , 2 9 0 Ga. Ap p

. 4 9 0

, 4 9 3

(1 ) (6 5 9 SE2 d 8 7 5 ) (2 0 0 8 ) (ch al l en ge reg ard i ng i n d ict m en t d o es n ot rai s e a v al i d v o id

s en t en ce cl ai m ). Becau s e Tay l o r h as n o t rai s ed a co l o rab l e v o id -s en t en ce cl ai m , t h i s

ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d ict i o n . See Ro b er t s , s u p ra. Becau s e

Fo rd h as n o t r a i s ed a co l o rab l e arg um en t t h at hi s s en t en ce i s v oi d

, t h i s ap p eal i s

DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d i ct 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

. 05/25/2016