Court Opinion

ID: 9960885
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-17 15:06:13.097393+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:20:01.943516
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                         ATLANTA,____________________
                                                  April 17, 2024

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24I0152. DIANE MARIE GNAM v. ESTATE OF JAMES G. WHITE et al.

      In this equitable interpleader case, the Estate of James G. White and Richard
O. White filed a motion to set aside a consent default judgment and open the default.
The trial court granted the motion on March 1, 2024; on March 7, 2024, the court
certified its order for immediate review. On March 19, 2024, Diane Gnam filed this
application seeking to appeal the court’s order. We, however, lack jurisdiction.
      Under OCGA § 5-6-34 (b), a party may request interlocutory review only if the
trial court certifies within ten days of entry of the order at issue that immediate review
should be had. The application to this Court then must be made “within ten days after
such certificate is granted.” Id. A certificate of immediate review is considered
granted on the date that it is filed with the clerk of court.1 See Turner v. Harper, 231
Ga. 175, 176 (200 SE2d 748) (1973); Laurens County v. Dixon, 133 Ga. App. 727, 728
(213 SE2d 26) (1975). The requirements of OCGA § 5-6-34 (b) are jurisdictional, and
if the party seeking interlocutory review does not comply with these requirements, the
party must wait until final judgment to appeal. See Islamkhan v. Khan, 299 Ga. 548,
551 (2) (787 SE2d 731) (2016).

      1
        Gnam has included a copy of an email from the deputy clerk of court stating
that the certificate of immediate review was not “scanned into the system” and
distributed to the attorneys until March 11, 2024. However, the due date of an
application for interlocutory appeal is not calculated from the date of service of the
certificate of immediate review upon the applicant; it is calculated from the date the
certificate was filed with the court. See OCGA § 5-6-34 (b).
      Here, because Gnam filed this application 12 days after the trial court entered
its

certificate of immediate review, it is untimely. See Graves v. Dean, 166 Ga. App. 186
(303 SE2d 751) (1983). Accordingly, this application is hereby DISMISSED.

                                       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.