Court Opinion

ID: 9929338
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-02 15:05:20.482274+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:07:02.457036
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                        ATLANTA,____________________
                                                 February 02, 2024

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24D0217. SHOHEL MOMIN v. JEREMY ANDERSON et al.

      Based on the limited application materials, it appears that Pearl Garden Homes,
LLC and Goodson, LLC brought this property dispute against Jeremy and Traci
Anderson. The Andersons then filed a third-party complaint against Shohel Momin,
RW Investments, LLC, and Richard Walker. Momin filed a motion for summary
judgment, which the trial court granted. Momin then filed a motion seeking attorney
fees under OCGA § 9-15-14. The trial court denied that motion, and Momin now
seeks discretionary review. We, however, lack jurisdiction.
      Generally, a party must follow the discretionary appeal procedures to appeal an
order awarding or denying OCGA § 9-15-14 attorney fees. See OCGA § 5-6-35 (a)
(10). This action, however, involves multiple parties and claims, and the materials that
Momin submitted with his application contain no indication that the trial court has
adjudicated any claims other than the third-party claims against Momin. Thus, it
appears that this action remains pending below and that the order Momin wishes to
appeal is interlocutory. See Eidson v. Croutch, 337 Ga. App. 542, 543-544 (788 SE2d
129) (2016) (holding that an award of attorney fees issued before final judgment is
interlocutory). Under these circumstances, Momin was required to follow the
interlocutory appeal procedures set forth in OCGA § 5-6-34 (b), including obtaining
a certificate of immediate review, to pursue an appeal at this juncture.1 See Bailey v.

      1
        Perhaps in recognition of this fact, Momin styled the application as one for
interlocutory review. But without the certificate of immediate review required by
OCGA § 5-6-34 (b), we docketed the application as one for discretionary review.
Bailey, 266 Ga. 832, 833 (471 SE2d 213) (1996); Scruggs v. Ga. Dept. of Human
Resources, 261 Ga. 587, 588-589 (1) (408 SE2d 103) (1991). Although Momin filed an
application for discretionary appeal, as described in OCGA § 5-6-35, compliance with
that procedure does not excuse a party seeking appellate review of an interlocutory
order from complying with the additional requirements of OCGA § 5-6-34 (b). See
Bailey, 266 Ga. at 833; Eidson, 337 Ga. App. at 543. Momin’s failure to follow the
interlocutory appeal procedures deprives us of jurisdiction to consider this
application, which is hereby DISMISSED.

                                      Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                        Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                    02/02/2024
                                                 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.