# 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 4 A1 61 3 . TUCKER et a l . v . FOW LER et a l

.

Th e ap p el l an t s fi l ed th is d i rect ap p eal fro m t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ord er g ran t i n g t h e

ap p el l ees ’ m o t io n t o en fo rce a s et t l em en t ag reem en t

. W h i l e OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 )

p ro v id es t h at a d i rect ap p eal m ay b e h ad fro m

a fi n al ju d g m en t , “ [i ] n t he cas e o f an

o rd er g ran t i n g a m o t i on t o en fo rce a s et t l em en t ag reem en t

, th e o rd er i s n ot fi n al u n t i l

t h e t ri al co u rt ex pres s l y en t ers fi n al ju d g m en t o n t h at o rd er.” To r res v. El ki n

, 3 1 7 Ga.

Ap p

. 1 3 5

, 1 3 8 (1 ) (7 3 0 SE2 d 5 1 8 ) (2 0 1 2 ). So “ n ot wi t h s t an di n g t he t ri al co u rt ’ s g ran t

o f a m o ti o n t o en fo rce a set tl em en t

, a cas e i s n ot at an en d u nt i l s u ch t i m e a s t h e

ag reem en t h as b een m ad e t h e ju dg m en t o f t h e co u r t

, t h e r e b y t erm i n at i n g t h e

l i ti g at i o n .” Un d

er wo od v. Un der wo o d

, 2 82 Ga. 6 4 3

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

(ci t at i o n an d pu n ct uat i o n o m i t t ed ). Th us

, “ fi n al d i s p o s i t io n o f th e cas e

. . . i s t h e o rd er

g ran t i n g t h e m o t i o n to en fo rce a n d [ en t r y o f f i n a l ] j u d gmen t o f th e tr i a l co u r t .” Id

. (Em p h as i s i n o ri g i n al ; ci t at i o n an p u nct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). “ [T] h e 3 0-d ay p eri o d fo r

fi li n g a n o t i ce o f ap p eal b eg i ns t o ru n o n l y wh en t h e t ri al co u rt ex p li ci t l y en t ers fi n al

ju d g m en t

, rat h er t h an wh en th e t ri al co u rt g ran t s th e m o ti o n t o en fo rce t h e set t l em en t

ag reem en t .” To r r es , s up ra at 1 39 (1 ) (ci tat i o n o m i t t ed ).

H e re, t h e t ri al co u rt d i d n o t en t er fi n al ju dg m en t aft er g ran ti n g t h e m o t i o n t o

en fo rce t h e s et t l em en t ag reem en t

. A n d th e o rd er g ran t i n g t h e m o t i o n was n o t i t s el f

a fi n al ju d g m en t “ as i t d i d n ot ex p res s l y p ro v i d e ei t h er t hat t he act i o n w as d i s m i s s ed

o r t h at [ap p el l ees ] recei v e ju dg m en t i n acco r d an ce wi t h t h e t erm s of t h e set t l em en t

ag reem en t

, an d th u s th e cas e w as n o t at an en d .” Zei t ma n v. McBr a yer

, 2 0 1 Ga. Ap p.

7 6 7

, 7 69 (2 ) (b ) (4 1 2 SE2 d 28 7 ) (1 9 9 1 ) (ci t at i o n an d p u n ct u at io n o m i t t ed ). Becau s e

n o fi n al ju d g m en t h as b een en t ered i n t h e cas e, t h e ap p eal m u s t b e, an d h ereb y i s

,

d i s m i s s ed . Id . at 7 6 9 (2 ) (c). March 25, 2015C 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

. 03/25/2015