Court Opinion

ID: 9906062
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-30 20:04:23.770472+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:24:05.297638
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                       ATLANTA,____________________
                                                November 30, 2023

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24I0068. SOUTHEAST CENTERLINE, INC. v. PATTY HOWZE et al.
A24I0069. SOUTHEAST CENTERLINE, INC. v. PATTY HOWZE et al.
A24I0070. SOUTHEAST CENTERLINE, INC. v. PATTY HOWZE et al.

      After her husband was fatally injured in a vehicular accident, Patty Howze,
individually and as administrator of the Estate of Donald Howze, filed suit against
Southeast Centerline, Inc. (“Southeast”) and other defendants. The trial court granted
partial summary judgment to Howze, finding that Southeast failed to comply with
certain Georgia Department of Transportation specifications. In the same order, the
court denied Southeast’s motion to exclude expert witness testimony and its motion
for summary judgment. Southeast obtained certificates of immediate review and filed
these interlocutory applications, seeking review of the court’s partial grant of
summary judgment, the denial of its evidentiary motion, and the denial of its motion
for summary judgment.
      Under OCGA § 9-11-56 (h), the grant of summary judgment on any issue or
as to any party is reviewable by direct appeal. Olympic Dev. Group v. American
Druggists’ Ins. Co., 175 Ga. App. 425, 425 (1) (333 SE2d 622) (1985). Moreover, all
rulings within that order and any other non-final rulings entered in the case may also
be raised as part of such a direct appeal. See OCGA § 5-6-34 (d); Southeast
Ceramics, Inc. v. Klem, 246 Ga. 294, 295 (1) (271 SE2d 199) (1980). Because the
trial court granted Howze’s motion for partial summary judgment, the order is directly
appealable and Southeast was not required to file these applications for interlocutory
appeal. “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, these applications for interlocutory appeal are hereby
GRANTED. Southeast shall have ten days from the date of this order to file a notice
of appeal in the trial court if it has not already done so. See OCGA § 5-6-34 (b). The
clerk of the trial court is DIRECTED to include a copy of this order in the record
transmitted to the Court of Appeals.

                                       Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                              Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                        11/30/2023
                                              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.