# 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 8 A0 49 8 . KENDALL v . DAW SON et a l

.

Pres en t l y b efo re t he Co u rt are t h e ap pel l an t ’ s M OTION TO REM AND CASE

TO TRIAL COU R T F O R I N C L U S I ON OF TRIAL TRANSCRIPT an d t h e ap p el l ees ’

M OTION TO DISM ISS APPEAL.

Th e ap p el l ees s h o w t h at t h e ap p el l an t fai l ed t o cau s e t h e tran scri p t t o b e fi l ed

wi t h i n 3 0 d ay s aft er fi l i n g o f t h e n o t i ce of ap p eal

, as req u i red b y OCGA § § 5 -6 -4 1 (c)

(“ [W ] h ere an ap p eal is t ak en wh i ch d raws i n q u es ti o n t h e t ran s cri p t o f t he ev i d en ce

an d p ro ceed i ng s

, i t s hal l b e t h e d u t y o f t h e ap p el l an t t o h av e t h e tran s cri p t prep ared

at t h e ap p el l an t's ex p en s e.”) an d 5 -6 -4 2 (“ Th e p art y h av i n g th e res po n s i b i li t y o f fi l i n g

t h e tran s cri p t s h al l cau s e i t t o b e fi l ed wi th i n 3 0 d ay s aft er fi l i n g of th e n o t i ce o f

ap p eal o r d es i g n at i o n by ap p el l ee, as t h e cas e m ay b e, u n les s t h e t i m e i s ex t en d ed as

p ro v id ed i n Co d e Sect i o n 5 -6 -3 9 .”).

Th e ap p el l an t s eek s t o ex cu s e h i s fai l u re o n t h e b as i s t h at t h e ad m i n i s t rat o r in

ch arg e o f co u rt rep ort ers i n t h e Su p eri o r Co u rt o f Fu l t o n Co u n ty h as b een u n ab l e to

i d en t i fy th e co u r t r e p o rt er wh o t o o k d o wn th e b en ch t ri al

, m ak i n g it i m p os s i b l e fo r

h i m t o o rd er t h e t ran s cri p t

. Th e ap p el lan t fai l s t o o ffer an y reas o n , h owev er, fo r h i s

fai l u re to s eek an ex t en s i o n o f ti m e fro m t h e t ri al co u rt

, as pro v i ded i n OCGA § 5 -6

-

3 9 (a) (3 ) (“ An y ju d g e o f th e t ri al co u rt

. . . m ay

, in h i s d i s cret i o n

, an d wi t h o u t m o t i o n

o r n o t i ce t o th e o t h er p art y

, g ran t ex t en si o n s of t i m e fo r t h e fi l in g o f

. . . Tran s c r i p t

o f t h e ev i d en ce an d p ro ceed i ng s o n ap peal [.] ”). November 17, 2017OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (c) p ro v i d es t h at “ [n ] o ap p eal s h al l b e d i s m i s s ed b y t h e

ap p el l at e co u rt n o r co n s i d erat i o n o f an y erro r th erei n refu s ed b ecau s e o f fai l u re o f an y

p art y t o cau s e t h e t ran scri p t o f ev i den ce an d pro ceed i n gs t o b e fi l ed wi t h i n t h e t i m e

al l o wed by l aw o r o rd er o f co u rt [.] ” OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (c) fu rt h er p ro v i d es , h o wev er,

“ t h e tr i a l co u r t m ay

, aft er n o ti ce an d o pp o rt u ni t y fo r h eari n g

, ord er t h at t h e ap p eal b e

d i s m i s s ed wh ere t here h as b een an u n reas on ab l e d el ay i n t h e fi l in g o f t he tran s cri pt

an d i t is s h o wn th at t h e d el ay w a s i n e x cu s ab l e an d was cau s ed b y s u ch p art y .” See

Pi s t a cch i o v. Fr a s so

, 3 1 4 G a. Ap p

. 1 1 9, 1 2 1 (7 2 3 SE2 d 3 2 2 ) (2 0 1 2 ) (A d el ay o f m o re

t h an 3 0 d ay s i n fi l i ng a t ran s cri p t i s “ p ri m a faci e un reas o nab l e an d i n ex cu s ab l e, b ut

t h i s p r e s u m

p t i on i s s u bject t o reb u t t al i f t h e p art y co m es fo rward wi t h ev i d en ce to

s h o w t h at t h e d el ay was n ei t her u n reas o n ab le no r i n ex cu s ab l e.”); Cr o wn Di a mo n d

Co

. v. N.Y

. Di a m o n d

Co r p.

, 2 4 2 G a. Ap p. 6 7 4

, 6 7 7 (3 ) (5 3 0 SE2 d 8 0 0 ) (2 0 0 0 ) (“ A

d el ay i s u n reas o n ab le i f i t d irect l y d el ay s p lacem en t o f t h e cas e o n t h e earl ies t

p o s s i b l e cal en d ar i n [t h e ap p el l at e] co u rt o r d el ay s t h e do ck et in g o f t h e ap p eal an d t h e

h eari n g of t h e cas e i n [t h e ap p el l at e] co u rt .”); see al s o S o u t hea s t er n Pl u mb i ng S

u p p l y

Co

. v. Lee

, 2 3 2 G a. 62 6

, 6 3 0-6 3 1 (2 0 8 SE2 d 4 4 9) ( 1 9 7 4 )

, J u s t i ce Hal l co n cu rri n g

s p eci al l y (“ Th e p u rp o se o f [OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8

, as am en d ed ,] was t o el i m i n at e t h e

au t o m at i c d i s m i s s a l o f a n ap p eal b y o n e o f t h e ap p el l at e co u rt s fo r t h e fai l u re o f a

p art y t o cau s e t h e t ran scri p t o f ev i den ce an d pro ceed i n gs t o b e fi l ed wi t h i n t h e t i m e

al l o wed b y l aw o r o rd er of co u rt an d t o pro v i d e fo r a m ean s o f det erm in i n g t h e reas o n

fo r t h e d el ay

i n t h e t ri al co u rt .”).

Becau s e t h e Ap p el l at e Pract i ce Act res erv es t o th e t ri al co u rt co n s i derat i o n o f

t h e ap p el l ees ’ m o ti o n t o d i s m i s s b as ed o n t h e fai l u re t o fi l e t h e t ran s cri p t, t h e m o t i o n

i s h e r e b y D ENIED, an d t h e cas e i s h ereb y REM ANDED fo r t h e tri al co urt ’ s

co n si d erat io n o f t h e m o t i o n

. Th e ap p el l an t ’ s m o t i o n t o rem an d i s h ereb y GRANTED;

h o wev er, i n t h e ev en t t h e t ri al co u rt g ran ts t h e ap p el l ees ’ m o t i on t o d is m i s s

, t h e cl erko f t h e t ri al co u rt s h al l n o t b e req u i red t o t ran sm i t t h e t ran s cri p t o f th e pro ceed i n g s to

t h i s Co u rt i n co n n ect i o n w i t h t h e ab o v e-s ty l ed cas e. An y ap p eal fro m an o rd er

g ran t i n g t h e ap p el l ees ’ m o t i o n m ay b e i ni t i at ed by ti m el y fi l i n g a n o t i ce o f ap p eal

fro m s u ch o rd er.

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 t n 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

. 11/17/2017