# 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 1 A 0 2 3 4

. S P A R R O W E X T E R I O R S

, L L C v

. A L L R O O F I N G

CONSTRUCTI ON, LLC.

Al l Ro o fi n g Co n s tru ct i o n , LLC fi l ed a b reach o f c o n t r a ct act io n ag ai n s t

Sp arro w Ex t eri o rs , LLC a n d s erv ed di s co very co n t em po ran eo u s ly t h erewi t h

. On

D e c e m b er 1 6

, 2 0 1 9

, t h e t ri al co u rt en t ered an o rd er s tri k in g Sp arro w Ex t eri o r s ’

an s wer fo r fai lu re t o p ro v id e d is co v ery

. On Decem b er 1 8

, 2 0 1 9

, Sp arro w Ex t eri o rs

s o u g ht reco n s i d erat i o n of th at d eci s io n , bu t th e tri al co urt d e n i e d i t s req u es t

. Al l

Ro o fi n g Co n s t ru ct i o n th en fi l ed a m o t i o n fo r ju d g m en t o n t h e p lead i n g s an d a m o t i o n

fo r at t o rn ey ’ s fees

, p u rs u an t t o O CGA § 9 -1 5 -1 4

. O n Feb ru ary 3

, 2 0 20

, t h e t ri al co u rt

g ran t ed Al l Ro ofi ng ’ s m o ti o n fo r ju d g m en t on t h e pl ead i n gs , award ed d am ag es , an d

s ch ed u l ed a h eari n g t o d et erm i n e at t o rn ey fees ’ s

. Sp arro w Ex teri o rs fi led a “ M o t i o n

fo r New Tri al ,” ag ai n as k i n g t h e t ri al co u rt t o reco n s i der i t s deci s i o n t o s t ri k e Sp arro w

Ex t eri o rs ’ an s wer. O n A p r i l 2 1

, 2 02 0

, t h e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t he “ M o t i on fo r New

Tri al .” In a fo o t no t e, t h e t ri al co u rt n o t ed t h at al t h o u g h t h at t h e m o t i o n p u rp o rt ed to

s eek a n ew t ri al

, i t was “ t ru l y a m o t i o n fo r reco n s i d erat i on o f t hi s Co u rt ’ s Decem b er

1 [6 ]

, 2 01 9 o r d e r .” On Ap ri l 2 4, 2 0 2 0

, Sp arro w Ex t eri o rs fi l ed a no t ice o f ap p eal

. Becau s e t h e n o ti ce i s u n t im el y fro m t h e ju d g m e n t

, w e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n t o co n s i d er

t h i s ap p eal

. A n o t i ce of ap p eal m

us t b e fi l ed w i t h i n 3 0 day s aft er en t ry o f t he ap p eal ab l e

o rd er. O CGA § 5 -6 -3 8 (a). Th e p ro p er an d t i m el y fi li n g of t h e n ot i ce o f ap p eal i s an

ab s o lu t e req u i rem en t t o co n fer ap p el l at e ju ri s d ict i o n u p o n t h i s Co u rt

. See Ro wl a n d

v. S t a t e , 2 6 4 Ga. 8 7 2 (4 5 2 SE2 d 7 5 6 ) (1 9 9 5 ). In t h i s cas e, ju d g m en t o n t h e p l ead i ng s

was en t ered o n Feb ru ary 3

, an d Sp arro w E x t eri o rs fi l ed i t s n o t i ce o f ap peal o n Ap ri l October 23, 20202 4 , wh i ch was 8 1 d ay s l at er.

R e g a r d l e s s o f w h e t h e r Sp arro w E xt eri o rs ’ “ Mo t i o n fo r New Tri al ” i s b e s t

co n st ru ed as a m ot io n fo r new t ri al o r, as t h e tri al co u rt o b s erv ed

, a s a m o t i o n fo r

reco n s i d erat i on , i t d o es no t m ak e t h e n o t i ce o f ap p eal t i m el y

. A m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

t o l l s t he t i m e t o ap p eal fro m t h e ju d g m en t

, bu t a p art y can n o t m o v e fo r a new t ri al i f

n o t ri al h as b een h ad

. See Go o d i n g v. Bo at r i g h t

, 2 1 1 Ga. Ap p

. 2 2 1, 2 2 2 (4 3 8 SE2 d

6 8 5 ) (1 9 9 3 ) (“ Ob

j ect i o n s wh i ch g o t o t h e ju d g m en t o n ly

, an d d o n o t ex t en d t o t h e

v erd i ct

, can n o t p ro p erl y b e m ad e g ro u n d s o f a m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al ”) (p u n ct u at i o n

o m it t ed ). See al s o Deb t er v. S t ep h en s , 2 9 7 Ga. 6 5 2 (7 7 7 SE2 d 2 4 4 ) (2 0 15 ) (m o t i o n

fo r n ew t ri al i s n o t a p ro p er v eh i cl e fo r ch al l en g i n g th e g ran t o f s u m m ary ju d g m en t ).

“ W h ere a m o t i o n fo r n e w t ri al i s no t a p ro p er v eh icl e fo r rev i ew o f a t ri al co urt ’ s

act i on , t h e m o ti o n has n o v al i d i t y an d wi l l n o t ex ten d t h e t i m e fo r fi li ng t h e n o t i ce o f

ap p eal .” Pi l l o w v. S

eymo u r , 2 5 5 G a. 6 8 3

, 6 8 4 ( 3 4 1 S E 2 d 4 47 ) (1 9 8 6 ). In t h i s cas e,

t h e fi n al ju d g m en t w as a ju d g m en t on t h e p lead i n g s, s o a m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al was n ot

an ap p ro p ri at e v eh i cl e fo r ch al l en g i n g t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ru l i n g

. See G o o d i n g , 2 1 1 Ga.

Ap p

. at 2 2 2

. Acco rd i n g ly

, t h e m o t i o n d i d n ot o p erat e t o ex t en d t he t i m e fo r fi l i n g a

n o t i ce o f ap p eal

. See Pi l l ow , s u p ra.

F u r t h e rm o re, t o t h e ex t en t t h e m o t i o n co u ld b e co n si d ered a m o t i o n f o r

reco n s i d erat i on , as i t s p eci fi cal l y as ked t h e t ri al co u rt t o r e c o n s i d e r i t s fi n d i ng s

rel at ed t o d i s co v ery , i t s ti l l w o ul d n o t m ak e t h e no t i ce of ap p eal t im el y

. M o t i o n s fo r

reco n s i d erat i on d o n o t ex ten d t h e t i m e t o ap p eal fro m t h e un d erl y i n g deci s i o n , an d

t h e o rd er res o l v i n g t h e m o t i o n i s n o t s u b ject t o d irect ap p eal

. See Bel l v. Co h r a n , 2 4 4

Ga. Ap p

. 5 1 0

, 51 0 (5 36 SE2 d 1 87 ) (2 0 0 0 ) (“ a m o t io n fo r reco n s i d erat i o n d o es n o t t o l l

t h e t i m e fo r fi l i n g a d i rect ap p eal ”).

In s u m , n o t i m el y ap p eal was fi l ed fro m t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s Feb ru ary 3, 2 02 0 o rd er

g ran t i n g ju dg m en t o n t h e p l ead i n g s

. T h e no t i ce of ap p eal

– fi led 8 1 day s aft er en t ry

o f t h e o rd er gran t i n g t h e m o t i o n fo r ju d g m en t on t h e p l ead i n g s – d o es n o t co n fer

ju ri s d i ct i o n

. See OCGA § 5-6 -3 8 (a). W e th erefo re l ack ju ri s d i ct i on o v er t h i s

u n t i m el y ap p eal

, wh ich 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 te o f G e o r g i a
C l erk’ s O f f i ce, A t l ant a,

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ I c e r t if 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 t n 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

. 10/23/2020