# 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 0 D0 14 8 . MARSHA W . MI GNOTT v . BRI AN GARDI NER.
A2 0 D0 15 1 . THE MI GNOTT LAW GROUP, LLC v . BRI AN GARDI NER.

Th es e rel at ed ap p li cat i o ns aro s e ou t of award s of at t o rn ey fees ag ai n s t M ars h a

W

. M i g n o t t an d t h e M i g n o t t L aw Gro u p , LLC (co ll ect i v el y th e “ A p p l i can t s ”) in

co n nect io n wi t h M i g n o t t ’ s rep res en t at i o n o f M ari l y n En n i s , t h e p l ai n ti ff, i n a l aws u i t

fi led ag ai n st a h o m eo wn er’ s as s o ci at i o n

. On M arch 3 0

, 20 1 8

, th e t ri al co u rt en t ered

an o rd er d en y i ng t h e pl ai n t i ff’ s m o t i o n t o d i s q u al i fy Bri an G ard i n er as co u ns el fo r t h e

h o m eo wn er’ s as so ci at i o n an d gran t i n g at to rn ey fees t o G ard i n er. Th e p lai n t i ff fi l ed

a n ap p l i cat i o n fo r d is cret i on ary ap p eal fro m t he tri al co u rt ’ s o rd er, wh i ch wa s

d i s m i s s ed fo r fai l u re to fo l l o w i n t erl ocu t o ry p ro ced u res

. See E n ni s v. Ri ver cr es t

Ho meo wn er

s As so ci a t i o n , In c. , Cas e No . A1 8 D 0 4 43 , d i s m i ss ed M ay 1 6 , 2 0 1 8

. Ga r d i n er so u g ht th e i s s u an ce o f a f i fa

. ag ai n s t En n is an d t h e Ap pl i can t s o n

M ay 1 7, 2 0 1 8

, an d t h e Ap p l i can t s o b ject ed o n t h e g ro un d s th at t h e g ran t of fees was

o n l y ag ai n s t En n i s . On J u n e 8 , 2 0 1 8 , t he t ri al co u rt en t ered an o rd er cl ari fy i n g t h at

Gard i n er was award ed at t o rn ey fees i n t h e am o u nt o f $ 4

, 4 2 6 .5 0 ag ai n st En n i s an d t h e Ap p l i can t s an d d i rect ed t h e is s uan ce of t h e f i f a

. On J u n e 2 9

, 2 0 18

, t h e Ap p l i can t s

fi led “ em erg en cy m o t i o n s ” t o s t ay reco rd in g o f t h e f i fa

. an d t o s et as i d e t h e o rd er o f

at t o rn ey fees

. On M a y 1 0

, 2 0 1 9

, t h e t ri al co u rt en tered i t s o rd er d en y i n g t h e

em erg en cy m o ti o n s an d g ran t i n g Gard i ner an ad d i t i o n al $ 1,3 0 9 .0 0 i n at to rn ey fees

p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 9 -1 5 -1 4 (b ) d u e to th e Ap p l i can t s ’ co nt i n ued fri v o lo u s l i t i g at i o n.

On J u l y 6

, 2 0 19

, an d J u l y 9

, 2 0 1 9

, th e A p p li can t s fi l ed s ep arat e ap p l i cat i on s

fo r d i scret i o nary ap p eal fro m t he M ay 1 0, 2 0 1 9

, o rd er of th e t ri al co urt

. Th i s Co u rt

d i s m i s s ed t h o se ap p l i cat i o n s fo r u n ti m el i n es s an d fo r fai lu re t o fo l lo w i n t erl o cu t o ry December 02, 2019ap p eal p ro ced u res

. See M a r s h a W

. Mi g n o t t v. Br i a n Ga r di n er , Cas e No

. A1 9 D0 5 4 5

an d Th e M

i g n o tt La w Gr o u

p
, L L C v. Br i a n Ga r di n er , Cas e No

. A1 9 D0 5 5 1 (b o th

d i s m i s s ed Au g u s t 1

, 20 1 9 ). T h e reaft er o n Oct ob er 1 5

, 20 1 9, t h e p art i es i n t h e

u n d erl y i n g act i o n fi l ed a J o i n t Vo l u n t ary Di sm i s s al o f Al l Cl ai m s an d Co un t ercl ai m s

wi t h Preju d i ce. On Oc t o b e r 3 1

, 2 0 1 9

, an d No vem b er 1

, 2 0 1 9, t h e Ap p l i can t s fi l ed

s ep arat e ap p l icat i o n s fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal

, s eek i n g t o ch al l en g e y et ag ai n t h e t ri al

co u rt ’ s M ay 1 0

, 2 0 19

, o rd er d en y i n g t h ei r m o t i on t o s et as i d e at t o rn ey fees

. W e,

h o wev er, l ack ju ri s di ct i o n.

Th es e ap p l i cat io n s are b arred b y t h e l a w o f t h e cas e. As s t at ed earl i er, t h e Ap p l i can t s p rev io u s l y -fi l ed ap pl i cat i o n s fo r d i s cret i o n ary rev i ew o f t h e t ri al co urt ’ s

o rd er o f M ay 1 0

, 2 0 1 9, were di s m i s s ed fo r u n ti m el i n e s s a n d fai lu re t o fo l l o w o u r

i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res

. “ It i s wel l es t ab l i s h ed th at an y is s ue t h at w as rai s ed

an d res o l v ed i n an earl i er ap p eal i s t h e l aw o f th e cas e an d i s b i nd i n g o n t h i s Co u rt ,”

an d i t m at t ers n o t t h at t h e d i s m i s s al o f t h e p rev i o u s ap p eal d i d n o t reach t he m eri t s o f

t h e cl ai m “ b ecau s e t h e d i s m i s s al

, n ev ert h el es s, co n st i t u t es bi n d i n g l aw o f t he cas e.”

Ro s s v. S t a te

, 3 1 0 Ga. A p p. 3 2 6

, 3 2 7 (7 13 SE2 d 4 3 8 ) (2 0 1 1 ) (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ).

See al s o Reeves v. U

p so n Reg io n a l Med ica l Cen t er , 3 1 5 Ga

. A p p

. 5 8 2

, 5 8 5 (1 ) (a)
(7 2 6 SE2 d 5 4 4 ) (2 0 12 ) (d i s m i s s al o f an ap p eal b ecau s e o rd er c h a l l e n g ed was

i n t erl o cu t o ry

i s l aw o f t he cas e an d can n o t b e rev i s i t ed ).

Acco rd i ng l y , o u r p ri or di s m i ss al s o f t h e A p p l i can t s’ ch a l l en g es t o t h e t ri al

co u rt ’ s d en i al s o f th ei r m o t i o n t o s et as i d e co n s t i t u te t h e l aw o f th e cas e, an d we are

p recl u d ed fro m rev i s i ti n g t h es e i s s u es

. See i d

. at 3 2 8

. Th es e ap p l i cat i o n s are

t h erefo re 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 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

. 12/02/2019