# 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 9 I 0 1 57

. SUBARU C ORPORATI ON et al

. v

. ALEX SCANLON, AS

EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF BARRY SCANLON et a l

.

Barry Scan lo n d i ed fro m i n ju ri es h e i n cu rred i n an au to m o b i l e co l l i s i o n i n

Fl o ri da. At t he t i m e o f t h e co l li s i o n, Scan lo n was d ri v i n g a Su b aru Ou t b ack h e h ad

b o u g h t i n Geo rg i a. Scan l o n ’ s es t at e an d s u rv i v i n g s o n s fi l ed a w ro n g fu l d eat h act i o n

i n Geo rg i a ag ai n s t m

u l t i pl e defen d an t s , i ncl u d i n g Su b aru Co rp o rat io n (“ SBR”), a

J ap an es e co rp o rat i o n, an d Su b aru o f Am eri ca, In c. ( “ S O A”), a New J ers ey

co rp o rat i o n.

SBR an d SOA fi led m o t i o n s t o d is m i ss fo r l ack o f pers o n al ju ri s d i ct i o n

. In

res p o n s e, t h e p lai n t i f

f s arg u ed

, am o n g o t h er t h in g s , t hat SOA was a res i d en t o f

Geo rg i a u n d er OCGA § 1 4-2 -5 1 0 (b ) b ecau s e i t was reg i s t ered t o d o b u s in es s h ere.

SOA arg u ed th at i n l i g h t o f t h e Un i t ed St at es Su p rem e Co u rt ’ s d eci s i on s i n Da i m l er

AG v. Ba u ma n , 5 7 1 U. S. 1 1 7 (1 3 4 SCt

. 7 4 6

, 1 8 7 LE2 d 62 4 ) (2 0 14 ), an d Br i s to l

Myer s S q u i b b Co . v. S

u per io r Co u r t o

f Ca l

. ,

__ U. S.

__

(1 3 7 SCt . 1 7 7 3 , 1 98 LE2 d

3 9 5 ) (2 0 1 7 ), OCGA § 1 4 -2 -5 1 0 (b ) is u n co n s t i t ut i o nal t o th e ex t en t t h at i t ren d ers a

fo rei gn co rp o rat i o n a Geo rg i a res i d en t w h en t h e co rp o rat i o n reg i st ers t o d o b u s i n es s

i n Geo rg i a. Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n s t o d i sm i s s

. A s t o SOA, t h e co u rt ru l ed

t h at i t i s s u b

ject t o p ers o n al ju ri s d ict i o n in t hi s s tat e b ecau s e i t i s a Geo rg ia res i d en t

p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 1 4-2 -5 1 0 (b ). SOA an d SBR n o w s eek i n t erl o cu t ory rev i ew in

t h i s Co u rt

. Th e Su p rem e Co u rt o f Geo rg i a “ h as ex cl u s iv e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v e r al l cas es

i n v o l v i n g co n s t ru ct i o n of th e Co n s t i t u t i o n o f t h e St at e of Geo rg i a an d o f t he Un i t ed

St at es an d al l cas es i n w h ich t he co n s t i t u t i o n al it y o f a l aw, o rd i n an c e , o r January 31, 2019co n st i t u t io n al pro vi s io n h as b een cal l ed in t o q u es t i o n

. ” At la n t a In d ep en d en t S ch o ol

S ys t em v. La ne , 2 6 6 G a. 65 7

, 6 5 7 (1 ) (4 69 SE2 d 2 2 ) (1 9 9 6 ); Ga. Co ns t

. of 1 9 8 3

, Art

. VI, Sec. VI, Para. II (1 ). In l i g h t o f SOA’ s co n s t i t u t i o n al ch al l en g e t o OCGA § 1 4 -2

-
5 1 0 (b ), t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ru l i n g t h at SOA is s u b ject t o p ers on al ju ri s d i ct i o n i n Geo rg i a

b ecau s e it is a Geo rg i a res i d en t u n d er t h at s t at u t e ap p ears t o b e “ effect i vel y a d i s t i n ct

ru l i n g o n t h e co n s t i tu t i o n al i s s u es

. ” See R o u s e v. Dep t. o f Na t u r a l Res o u r ces , 2 7 1 Ga.

7 2 6

, 7 28 (1 ) (5 2 4 SE2 d 4 55 ) (1 9 9 9 ); see al s o Ha nco ck Co u n t y v. W i l l i a ms , 2 3 0 Ga.

7 2 3

, 7 2 4 (1 ) (1 9 8 SE2 d 6 5 9 ) (1 9 7 3 ). Th u s , t h i s cas e ap pears t o fal l wi t h i n t h e

Su p rem e Co urt ’ s ex cl u s i v e s u b ject -m at ter j u ri s d i c t i o n

. W e fu rt h er no t e t h at t h e

Su p rem e Co u rt h as “ t h e u l t i m at e r e s p o n s ib il i ty fo r co n s tru i ng th e co n s t i t u t i o n al

p ro v is i o n s reg ard i n g ap p el l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n.” Sa xt o n v. Co a s t al Di a l ys i s & Med

. Cl i n i c , 2 6 7 Ga. 1 7 7 , 1 7 8 (4 7 6 SE2 d 5 8 7 ) (1 9 9 6 ).

Acco rd i ng l y , t h i s ap p li cat i o n i s h ereb y T RANSFERRED t o t he Su pr e m e C ourt

fo r d i s po s i t 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 is 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

. 01/31/2019