Court Opinion

ID: 9960887
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-17 15:06:15.20007+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:19:59.047721
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                        ATLANTA,____________________
                                                 April 17, 2024

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24D0294. CYNTHIA A. DICKERSON v. WELLSTAR ATLANTA MEDICAL
    CENTER, INC. et al.

      In this pending medical malpractice action, the plaintiff filed an application for
discretionary appeal from the trial court’s order imposing OCGA § 9-15-14 (b)
attorney fees and expenses on plaintiff’s counsel. We, however, lack jurisdiction.
      Generally, an application for discretionary appeal is required for appellate
review of an award of attorney fees or litigation expenses under OCGA § 9-15-14. See
OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (10), (b). However, where, as here, the action remains pending
below and the order is a non-final order that does not resolve all issues in the action,
a party is required to follow the interlocutory appeal procedure set forth in OCGA
§ 5-6-34 (b) — including obtaining a certificate of immediate review — to challenge
a fee award. See generally Bailey v. Bailey, 266 Ga. 832, 832-833 (471 SE2d 213) (1996)
(a party seeking appellate review of an interlocutory order that also implicates the
discretionary application statute must comply with the interlocutory application
statute); see also Eidson v. Croutch, 337 Ga. App. 542, 543-545 (788 SE2d 129) (2016)
(where attorney fees order is issued prior to final judgment, a party seeking appellate
review must follow interlocutory appeal requirements). Thus, the plaintiff in this case
was required to follow the interlocutory appeal procedure to challenge the OCGA
§ 9-15-14 (b) fee award.
      Consequently — and pretermitting whether the plaintiff has standing to
challenge the attorney fee award entered against her counsel1 — her failure to comply
with the interlocutory appeal requirements deprives this Court of jurisdiction over this
application for discretionary review, which is hereby DISMISSED. See Bailey, 266 Ga.
at 832-833; Eidson, 337 Ga. App. at 543-545.

                                         Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                           Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                       04/17/2024
                                                    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.

      1
          See In the Interest of J. R. P., 287 Ga. App. 621, 623-624 (2) (652 SE2d 206)
(2007).