# 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 2 A0 22 8 . I N THE I NTEREST OF A. D., A CHI LD.

Ap p el l an t s J es s e an d Co urt en ay Bo l an d are A. D.’ s fo s ter p aren t s. Th ey ap p eal

fro m t h e ju v en i l e co u rt ’ s o r d er t erm i n at in g t h e p aren t al ri g h t s of A. D.’ s bi o l o g i cal

p aren t s an d award i n g p erm an en t cu s t o dy o f A. D. t o t h e Dep art m en t o f Fam i l y an d

Ch i l d r e n S e rv ices (“ DFCS”) t o b e p l aced fo r ad o p t i o n wi t h a n ew fo s t er fam i l y

. Ap p el l an t s ch al l en g e v ari o u s as p ect s o f t h e ju ve n i l e co u rt ’ s ru l i ng wi t h res p ect to

A. D.’ s perm an en t di s po s it i o n

. Ho wev e r
, A p p el l an t s lack s t an d in g an d can n ot

m ai n t ai n t h i s ap p eal

.
It is wel l s et t l ed t hat “ o nl y a p art y t o t he cas e can ap p eal fro m a ju d gm en t , o r

o n e wh o h as s o u g h t t o b eco m e a p art y as b y way o f i n terv en t i o n an d h as b een d en i ed

t h e ri g h t t o d o s o

. ” (Ci t at io n an d p u n ct u at io n o m i tt ed .) Fo r d v. Red di ck

, 31 9 Ga. Ap p.

4 8 2

, 4 8 2 -4 83 (1 ) (7 3 5 SE2 d 8 0 9 ) (2 0 1 2 ). See al s o OCGA § 15 -1 1 -1 9 (a). Here, t h ere

i s n o i nd i cat i o n i n t h e reco rd t hat Ap p el l an t s were p art i es t o t h e cas e b el o w o r t h at

Ap p el l an t s m o v ed t o i n t erv en e i n t h e cas e.

No r d o Ap p el l an t s h av e st an d in g t o a p p e a l o n t h e b as is th at t h ey are

“ ag g ri ev ed ” b y t h e ch al l en g ed ru l i n g

. See Ca r u t h er s v. Ch an , 3 5 4 Ga. Ap p

. 8 2 6

, 8 2 7

(1 ) (8 4 1 SE2 d 4 7 5 ) (2 0 2 0 ) (n on -p art y h ad s t an d i n g t o ch al l en ge ju d g m en t b ecau s e

s h e was “ d irect l y ag g ri ev ed b y t h e d eci s i o n ”); In t h e In t er es t o f J.R.P.

, 2 87 Ga. Ap p.

6 2 1

, 6 2 2 (1 ) (6 52 SE2 d 2 0 6 ) (2 0 0 7 ) (“ [A] p ers o n m ay o n l y ch al l en g e a ru li n g wh i ch

h as ad v ers el y affect ed h i s o r h er o wn ri g h ts .”) (ci t at i o n s an d p u n c t u at io n o m i t t ed ).

Ap p el l an t s were n o t award ed leg al cu s t o d y o r g u ard ian s h ip o f A. D., an d A. D.’ s

p l acem en t wi t h A p pel l an ts fo r fo s t er care d i d n o t o p erat e t o tran sfe r cu s t o d y fro m

DFCS t o Ap p el l a n t s

. See Dep t

. o f Hu ma n S

er vs

. v. Du n ca n , 3 5 1 Ga Ap p

. 3 3 2

, 3 3 8 June 02, 2022(8 3 1 SE2 d 4 ) (2 0 1 9 ) (Dep art m en t o f Hu m an Serv i ces ret ai n s l eg al c ustody of ch i l d ren

i t p laces i n fo s t er ho m es ). Mo reo v er, as fo s t er p aren t s
, A p p el l an t s d o n o t h av e a ri g ht

ei t h er t o cu s t o d y o f o r to ad o pt A. D. See Owen v. W a tt s , 3 03 Ga. Ap p

. 86 7

, 8 6 9 (2 )

(6 9 5 SE2 d 6 2 ) (2 0 1 0 ) (“ Geo rg i a l aw p ro v i d es n o ri g h t fo r fo s t er p aren ts t o ad o p t .”).

Acco rd i ng l y , Ap p el l an ts l ack s t an d i n g t o m ai nt ai n t h i s ap p eal

, wh 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 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

. 06/02/2022