Opinion ID: 1402384
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Previous Cases Allowing Immediate Appeal

Text: The Defendants argue that the order denying a transfer of venue is appealable because this Court has entertained such appeals before. We disagree. On several occasions, this Court has entertained immediate appeals from orders granting or denying motions for change of venue. See Ellis v. Oliver, 307 S.C. 365, 415 S.E.2d 400 (1992); Blizzard v. Miller, 306 S.C. 373, 412 S.E.2d 406 (1991); Carroll v. Guess, 302 S.C. 175, 394 S.E.2d 707 (1990); Chestnut v. Reid, 299 S.C. 305, 384 S.E.2d 713 (1989). However, appealability was not an issue raised by any party in those cases. The fact that an appellate court may have decided an appeal of a particular type of order on the merits is not dispositive of whether the order is appealable when the issue of appealability was not raised. Woodard v. Westvaco Corp., 319 S.C. 240, 460 S.E.2d 392 (1995); State v. Lockhart, 275 S.C. 160, 267 S.E.2d 720 (1980); Wallace v. Interamerican Trust Co., 246 S.C. 563, 144 S.E.2d 813 (1965). Those cases also fail to discuss Godley v. Uniroyal, Inc., 278 S.C. 571, 300 S.E.2d 78 (1983), Sanders v. Amoco Oil Co., 283 S.C. 195, 320 S.E.2d 334 (Ct.App.1984), and Lewis v. Atkinson Implement Co. Inc., 280 S.C. 87, 311 S.E.2d 80 (Ct.App.1983) which clearly hold such orders are not immediately appealable. Therefore, Defendant's argument that these cases support the appealability of such venue decisions is without merit.