Court Opinion

ID: 9576585
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:26:07.588779+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:10:11.784185
License: Public Domain

Smith, Judge,
dissenting in part.
I concur in the majority’s reversal of the trial court’s judgment in case No. 56884. However, as to case No. 56916, which is a "cross-appeal” from the denial of a motion for summary judgment, with the cause still pending in the trial court, the following holding mandates dismissal: "There is no provision for review of the denial of the summary judgment in Code Ann. §§ 81A-156(h) or 6-701(a) 2(A), except by direct appeal with a certificate of the trial judge and an application for review to the appropriate appellate court. . . Since the cross appeal in *247this case was from the denial of a motion for summary judgment and the procedures for appeal provided for in Code Ann. §§ 6-701 and 81A-156 were not complied with, the appeal is not properly before this court and must be dismissed.” Marietta Yamaha, Inc. v. Thomas, 237 Ga. 840, 842 (229 SE2d 753) (1976). Also determinative is a later discussion of Marietta Yamaha: "Code Ann. § 81A-156(h).. . provides that 'an order denying summary judgment shall be subject to review by direct appeal in accordance with the provisions of section 6-701(a) (2).’ Looking to that Code section we find that where an order, decision or judgment is 'not otherwise subject to direct appeal,’ a timely certificate for immediate review must be obtained. To be 'otherwise subject to direct appeal,’ an order, decision or judgment must be final such that the cause is no longer pending in the court below under Code Ann. § 6-701(a) 1, or involving an issue specified as directly appealable under Code Ann. § 6-701(a) 3. The denial of summary judgment in Marietta Yamaha, Inc. fit into neither of these directly appealable categories contained in Code Ann. § 6-701(a). The cause remained pending in the trial court, and the issue involved was not specifically set out as being directly appealable. Thus, the only method for direct appeal was by obtaining a certificate of immediate review. This procedure was not followed, and the cross appeal for the denial of summary judgment was not allowed.” Stallings v. Chance, 239 Ga. 567, pp. 567-568 (238 SE2d 327) (1977).
Executive Jet Sales, Inc. v. Jet America, Inc., 242 Ga. 307 (248 SE2d 676) (1978), upon which the majority relies, is inapplicable, as it involved a cross appeal from the denial of a motion to dismiss and not an attempt to cross appeal from the denial of a motion for summary judgment. In case No. 56916 defendants neglected to follow interlocutory review procedure, and that case not involving an issue stipulated to be appealable directly under Ga. L. 1965, p. 18, as amended by Ga. L. 1968, pp. 1072, 1078 and Ga. L. 1975, pp. 757, 758 (Code Ann. § 6-701 (a) (3)), I would dismiss the appeal.