# 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 D0 22 3

. SHANA BURW ELL et a l

. v

. GW I NNE T T COUNTY SCHOOL

DI STRI CT d/ b/ a GW I NNETT COUNTY PUBLI C SCHOOLS et a l

.

S h a n a Bu rwel l an d M at t h ew Bu rwel l

, Sr., (t he “ Pl ai nt i ffs ”), p ro s e, fi l e d a n

act i on fo r d am ag es an d fo r in ju n ct i v e rel i ef ag ai n st t he G wi n n et t Co u n ty Sch o ol

Di s t ri ct

, J. Al v in W i l ban k s

, i n d i v i d u al l y an d in h i s o ffi ci al cap aci t y as s u p eri n t en d en t

o f th e Gwi n n et t Co un t y Bo ard of Ed u cat io n

, an d Th o m as Tri p p an y

, i n di v i d u al l y an d

i n h i s o ffi ci al cap aci t y as p ri n ci p al o f Sh il o h El em en t ary Sch o o l (t h e “ Defen d an t s ”).

Th e t ri al co u rt d i s m is s ed t h e Pl ai n t i ffs ’ co m p l ai nt w i t ho u t p reju d ice aft er t h e

Pl ai n t i ffs f

a i l e d t o ap p ear at a cal en d ar cal l an d th e Defen d an t s m ad e a m o t i o n to

d i s m i s s fo r l ack of p ro p er s erv i ce. Th e Pl ai nt i ffs s ub s e q u e n t l y fi l ed a “ n o t i ce o f

ap p eal ” i n t h i s Co u rt

, wh i ch we co n s t ru ed as an ap pl i cat i o n fo r di s cret io n ary ap p eal

.

Un d er OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (a) (1 ), a part y m ay fi l e a d i rect ap p eal fro m “ [a] l l fi n al

ju d g m en t s

, t h at i s t o s ay

, wh ere t h e cas e i s n o lo ng er p en d in g i n t h e c o u rt b el o w,

ex cep t as p ro vi d ed i n Co d e Sect i o n 5-6 -3 5 .” It do es no t ap pear t h at an y p ro v i s i o n o f

O C G A § 5 -6 -3 5

, t h e di s cret io n ary ap p eal s t at u te, ap p l i es here. Rat h er, t h e t r i a l

co u rt ’ s d i s m i s sal wi t h ou t p reju d i ce o f th e Pl ai n ti ffs ’ co m p l ai n t c o n s t i t u ted a fi n al

ju d g m en t

.

W e w i ll g ran t a t i m el y ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal i f t h e l o wer co urt ’ s

o rd er i s s u b

ject to di rect ap p eal

. S ee OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (j). Acco rd i n g l y

, t h i s

ap p li cat io n i s h ereb y GRANTED, an d t h e Pl ai n t i ffs s h al l h av e t en d ay s fro m t h e d at e

o f t h is o rd er t o fi l e a n o t ice o f ap p eal i n th e t ri al co urt

. If t h e Pl ai n t i ffs h av e al read y December 31, 2018fi led a t i m el y n o t i ce o f ap p eal i n t h e t ri al co u rt

, th ey n eed n o t fi l e a s eco n d n o t i ce. 1

Th e cl erk o f th e tri al co u rt i s DIRECTED t o i n cl u de a co p y o f th i s o rd er i n t he reco rd

t ran s m i t t ed t o t h e Co u rt o f Ap p eal s

.

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

.

1 Th e Pl ai n t i ffs ap p ear t o h av e al read y fi l ed a n ot i ce o f ap p eal i n t h e tri al co u rt

. Th e cl erk o f t h e t r i al co u rt req u es t ed an am en d ed n o t i ce o f ap peal wi th ad d i t i o n al

i n fo rm at i o n. Th e Pl ai n t i ffs s u b s eq u en t l y fi l ed a “ n o ti ce o f ap p eal ” in t h i s C o u r t

, wh i ch i s t h e s u b

ject o f t h i s ap p l i cat i o n

. If t h e Pl ai nt i ffs i n t en d ed t o fi l e an am en d ed

n o t i ce o f ap p eal

, t h en t h ey s h o u l d d o s o i n t h e t ri al co u rt

. 12/31/2018