Case Name: WHITEHEAD v. DILLARD
Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1973-04-25
Citations: 129 Ga. App. 5
Docket Number: 48017
Parties: WHITEHEAD v. DILLARD.
Judges: Hall, P. J., and Evans, J., concur.
Reporter: Georgia Appeals Reports
Volume: 129
Pages: 5–5

Head Matter:
48017.
WHITEHEAD v. DILLARD.
Argued April 4, 1973
Decided April 25, 1973.
Guy B. Scott, Jr., for appellant.
Erwin, Epting, Gibson & Chilivis, Eugene A. Epting, for appellee.

Opinion:
Clark, Judge.
Where a motion for a new trial is sustained, such ruling is not a final disposition of the case. Accordingly it is not appealable without a certificate of immediate review from the trial court. Code Ann. § 6-701 (Ga. L. 1965, p. 18; 1968, pp. 1072, 1073); State Hwy. Dept. v. Rosenfeld, 118 Ga. App. 524 (164 SE2d 259); Pilgreen's Airport, Inc. v. Gold, 122 Ga. App. 194 (176 SE2d 480). See also Fife v. Johnston, 225 Ga. 447 (169 SE2d 167) where our Supreme Court recognized that "Cruel though it was for the law to thus authorize a judge to deprive the loser of a right to appeal, we can not say the law is unconstitutional."
In the instant case the trial judge granted a new trial to defendant following a plaintiffs verdict upon the special ground that he had erred in denying defendant's motion for mistrial based on improper statements in the closing argument of plaintiffs attorney. As this was not a new trial granted on the discretionary general grounds, it was appealable, provided appellant had obtained a certificate of immediate review. Rice v. Matthews, 104 Ga. App. 593 (1) (122 SE2d 175); Southern States, Inc. v. Thomason, 128 Ga. App. 667. The record here containing no requisite certificate, our court is without jurisdiction and the motion to dismiss is sustained.
Appeal dismissed.
Hall, P. J., and Evans, J., concur.