Court Filings

The Georgia Court of Appeals dismissed a direct appeal by the mother of minor J. G. challenging a juvenile court order that terminated her parental rights. The court held it lacked jurisdiction because the mother failed to file the required application for discretionary review under Georgia law. The opinion cites the statute and precedent establishing that compliance with the discretionary-review procedure is jurisdictional, so dismissal — not a decision on the merits of the termination — was required.

The Court of Appeals determined it lacks jurisdiction over Santavious Roberts's appeal from a November 21, 2024 felony-murder conviction and life sentence because the Georgia Supreme Court has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over cases in which the death penalty could be imposed. The Court of Appeals therefore transferred the appeal to the Supreme Court of Georgia for disposition, citing the state constitution, the felony-murder statute, and recent precedent recognizing the Supreme Court's practice of reviewing all murder cases even when death was not sought.

The Georgia Court of Appeals dismissed Reginald Harvey’s application for discretionary appeal from the trial court’s December 30, 2025 denial of his motion to correct sentence because the application was filed beyond the 30-day statutory deadline. Harvey had been convicted in 2016 and previously sentenced as a recidivist; he sought to challenge that sentence as void. The court held it lacks jurisdiction to consider untimely discretionary applications under OCGA § 5-6-35(d) and relevant precedent, so Harvey’s March 10, 2026 filing (70 days after the order) was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

The Georgia Court of Appeals granted an application for interlocutory appeal filed by Fowl Life Foods, LLC in the case against Matthew Gray. The court's order allows the appellant to file a Notice of Appeal within 10 days of the order (dated April 1, 2026) and directs the superior court clerk to include this order in the record sent to the Court of Appeals. The decision is procedural: the court accepted review of an otherwise non-final interlocutory matter and set the filing and record-transmission requirements to effectuate that review.

The Georgia Court of Appeals considered an application for an interlocutory appeal filed by Desmond Camp in two criminal cases (LC Nos. 25CR0733 and 26CR0023) and denied the application on April 1, 2026. The order is brief: the court reviewed the request for permission to take an appeal before final judgment and concluded that interlocutory review was not warranted, issuing a simple denial without published opinion or extended reasoning. The clerk certified the order as an extract from the court minutes.

The Georgia Court of Appeals granted Chick‑fil‑A, Inc.'s application for an interlocutory appeal in the case Chick‑fil‑A, Inc. v. Matthew Gray. The court ordered that the appellant may file a Notice of Appeal within 10 days of the April 1, 2026 order and directed the Superior Court clerk to include this order in the record sent to the Court of Appeals. This is an administrative order allowing the interlocutory appeal to proceed, not a decision on the merits of the underlying dispute.

The Georgia Court of Appeals reviewed the record and determined that discretionary review was not appropriate in William Paul Bradley, Jr.’s case. The court concluded that granting the application for discretionary appeal was improvident and therefore dismissed the appeal. This order ends this Court of Appeals proceeding without addressing the merits of the underlying dispute.

The Court of Appeals dismissed Payne’s appeal as a nullity because the appellant, Wesley Payne, had died before substitution of the estate occurred, and Georgia law treats further proceedings as void as to a deceased party until someone is substituted. The trial court had dismissed the case for discovery violations after Payne’s death; the appellate court held that actions taken after his death are void as to him. The court remanded for the trial court to resolve pending motions to substitute the estate and, if appropriate, to reconsider defendants’ dismissal motions.

The Georgia Court of Appeals reviewed the record in Anderson v. Anderson and determined the case was not suitable for discretionary review. The court concluded that granting the appeal was improvident and therefore dismissed the appeal. The order is a short procedural disposition without discussion of the underlying merits of the parties' dispute.

The Court of Appeals dismissed Jesse James Larson’s direct appeal from a trial court divorce decree because Georgia law requires appeals in divorce matters to be pursued by application for discretionary review. The court explained that compliance with the discretionary appeals procedure under OCGA § 5-6-35 is jurisdictional, cited prior decisions applying that rule, and concluded it lacked jurisdiction to decide the merits. The dismissal leaves the trial court decree in place unless the appellant pursues the correct discretionary-review procedure if timely available.

The Georgia Court of Appeals granted an application for discretionary appeal filed by Wirth Forestry, LLC and others in a case against Heard County, Georgia. The court ordered that the appellants may file a Notice of Appeal within 10 days of the order and instructed the Clerk of the Superior Court to include this order in the record transmitted to the Court of Appeals. The order simply grants permission to pursue an appeal and sets procedural steps for transmitting the record; it does not decide the merits of the underlying dispute.