Court Opinion

ID: 9901145
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-21 15:03:16.049803+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:21:27.077932
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                         ATLANTA,____________________
                                                  November 21, 2023

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24I0072. GREEN MEADOWS HOUSING PARTNERS, LP d/b/a GREEN
     MEADOWS TOWNHOMES et al. v. MACON-BIBB COUNTY.

      Macon-Bibb County (the “County”) filed a complaint to abate public nuisance
against Green Meadows Housing Partners, LP d/b/a Green Meadows Townhomes,
Green Meadows Housing Management, LLC, and Vitus Development IV, LLC
(collectively, “Appellants”), in relation to the conditions at Green Meadows
Townhomes, which is owned by Appellants. The County alleged that Appellants
have, among other things, allowed crime and related activity to take place at the
property. The County further asked the trial court to appoint a receiver to manage and
oversee the operation of the property.
      The same day the County filed its complaint, the court entered an order to abate
nuisance and appointing a receiver. Appellants filed a notice of appeal1 and a motion
to vacate the abatement order and to dissolve the receivership or, in the alternative,
to stay the order pending appeal. Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court
denied the motion and reappointed the receiver. The court certified its order for
immediate review, and Appellants filed this application for interlocutory appeal
seeking review of the order denying their motion and reappointing the receiver.
      Although this case remains pending below, the trial court’s order is directly
appealable because it explicitly reappointed the receiver. “All judgments or orders
granting or refusing applications for receivers or for interlocutory or final
injunctions” are reviewable by direct appeal. OCGA § 5-6-34 (a) (4). See Richardson

      1
          That appeal has not yet been docketed in this Court.
v. Roland, 267 Ga. 34, 34-35 (472 SE2d 301) (1996) (direct appeal from order
denying vacatur of receivership and extending the receiver’s appointment until further
order).
      “This Court will grant a timely application for interlocutory review if the order
complained of is subject to direct appeal and the applicants have not otherwise filed
a notice of appeal.” Spivey v. Hembree, 268 Ga. App. 485, 486 n. 1 (602 SE2d 246)
(2004). Accordingly, this interlocutory application is hereby GRANTED. Appellants
shall have ten days from the date of this order to file a notice of appeal in the trial
court if they have not already done so. The clerk of the superior court is DIRECTED
to include a copy of this order in the record transmitted to this Court.

                                        Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                               Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                         11/21/2023
                                               I certify that the above is a true extract from
                                        the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
                                                Witness my signature and the seal of said court
                                        hereto affixed the day and year last above written.

                                                                                       , Clerk.