Court Opinion

ID: 9961337
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-18 16:06:13.864903+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:20:38.174784
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                         ATLANTA,____________________
                                                  April 18, 2024

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24A1147. YVONNE WILLIAMS v. TEP RAGAN, LLC, et al.

      The magistrate court issued a dispossessory judgment in favor of TEP Ragan,
LLC and against Yvonne Williams. Williams filed an appeal to state court but on
November 30, 2023, the state court dismissed Williams’s appeal for failure to pay rent
into the court registry. On February 7, 2023, Williams filed an affidavit stating that the
state court had failed to inform her of the dismissal order and stating that she was now
seeking to appeal the dismissal. The state court treated the affidavit as a notice of
appeal, and it then forwarded the case to this Court for docketing. We lack jurisdiction
for several reasons.
      First, the affidavit does not appear to constitute a notice of appeal, as it does not
satisfy the requirements of OCGA §5-6-37. And in the absence of a notice appeal that
complies with the statute, this Court is without jurisdiction to consider an order
entered by an inferior tribunal. See Bish v. State, 232 Ga. App. 121, 121 (501 SE2d 283)
(1998).
      Moreover, to the extent Williams’s affidavit could be construed as a notice of
appeal, it would nevertheless be insufficient to provide us with jurisdiction. An appeal
from a state court order disposing of a de novo appeal from a magistrate court decision
must be initiated by filing an application for discretionary review. OCGA § 5-6-35 (a)
(11), (b); Strachan v. Meritor Mtg. Corp. East, 216 Ga. App. 82, 82 (453 SE2d 119)
(1995). Compliance with the discretionary appeals procedure is jurisdictional. Hair
Restoration Specialists v. State of Georgia, 360 Ga. App. 901, 903 (862 SE2d 564) (2021)
(failure to comply with the discretionary appeal procedure, where applicable, requires
dismissal of the appeal for lack of jurisdiction). Thus, Williams’s failure to follow the
proper procedure deprives us of jurisdiction over this appeal.
      Finally, even if a direct appeal were proper in this case, and assuming that her
affidavit constitutes a notice of appeal, that appeal is untimely. A notice of appeal must
be filed within 30 days of entry of the judgment or trial court order sought to be
appealed. OCGA § 5-6-38 (a). “The proper and timely filing of a notice of appeal is
an absolute requirement to confer jurisdiction upon an appellate court.” Perlman v.
Perlman, 318 Ga. App. 731, 739 (734 SE2d 560) (2012) (punctuation omitted).
Williams’s affidavit, however, was filed 69 days after entry of the trial court’s order.
      For each of the reasons set forth above, we lack jurisdiction to consider this
appeal, which is hereby DISMISSED.

                                         Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                             Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                        04/18/2024
                                                 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.