Wagner v. Howell, 44892

Citation363 S.E.2d 759,257 Ga. 801
Decision Date15 January 1988
Docket NumberNo. 44892,44892
PartiesWAGNER v. HOWELL, et al.
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia

Richard L. Roble, Clarkston, for Hilda Susan Wagner.

F. Edwin Hallman, Jr., George E. Powell, Jr., Decker & Hallman, Emmet J. Bondurant II, Jane F. Vehko, Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, Carolyn R. Gorwitz, Jo Lanier Meeks, Kutak, Rock & Campbell, Atlanta, for Sara Lois Howell, et al.

SMITH, Justice.

This is an appellate practice case arising from the trial court granting the appellees' motion for summary judgment and the appellant's subsequent attempt to appeal from that ruling. We reverse.

The appellant, Hilda Susan Wagner, sued the appellees charging fraud in connection with the probate of her father's will and corporate waste and breach of fiduciary duty in the management of the family corporation.

The appellant filed her notice of appeal on October 10, 1985, after the trial court granted summary judgment to the appellees. The notice of appeal called for the inclusion of the transcript of the evidence and proceedings in the summary judgment hearing. On November 14, 1985, the appellees filed a motion to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the appellant had failed to file a transcript of the evidence.

On November 17, 1985, when appellant's counsel received notice of the motion to dismiss, he checked with the court reporter and found that the court reporter had not filed the transcript with the clerk. The court reporter, in an affidavit, stated that the transcript of the proceeding was completed, but because of her excessive workload, she forgot to file it. The transcript was filed November 18, 1985, six days late.

OCGA § 5-6-41 covers the law regarding the reporting, preparation, and disposition of transcripts in civil cases. OCGA § 5-6-48 covers the law regarding the grounds for dismissal of an appeal. OCGA § 5-6-48(c) states that the trial court may "[a]fter notice and opportunity for hearing, order that the appeal be dismissed where there has been an unreasonable delay in filing of the transcript and it is shown that the delay was inexcusable and was caused by such party." (Emphasis supplied.) OCGA § 5-6-48(f) states, "An appeal shall not be dismissed nor consideration thereof refused because of failure of the court reporter to file the transcript of evidence and proceedings within the time allowed by law or order of the court unless it affirmatively appears from the record that the ...

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15 cases
  • Crown Diamond Co. v. NY Diamond Corp.
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • 9 Marzo 2000
    ...caused by clerks of court or court reporters after the transcript has been ordered properly (OCGA § 5-6-48(f); Wagner v. Howell, 257 Ga. 801, 802, 363 S.E.2d 759 (1988)); appellants are held accountable only for delays that they cause. Baker, supra, 260 Ga. at 115,390 S.E.2d While the failu......
  • Gordon v. Dennis, A18A1363
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • 20 Julio 2018
    ...to the ‘backlog’ of the court reporter, rather than to any act or omission on the part of the appellants"). See also Wagner v. Howell , 257 Ga. 801, 801, 363 S.E.2d 759 (1988) (trial court abused its discretion in dismissing appeal, where evidence showed that delay was caused by court repor......
  • Gordon v. Dennis
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • 20 Julio 2018
    ...the ‘backlog’ of the court reporter, rather than to any act or omission on the part of the appellants"). See also Wagner v. Howell , 257 Ga. 801, 801, 363 S.E.2d 759 (1988) (trial court abused its discretion in dismissing appeal, where evidence showed that delay was caused by court reporter......
  • Bass v. Mercer
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • 28 Octubre 1999
    ...courts have more often than not focused their inquiry on how many days or months a transcript is tardy. See e.g., Wagner v. Howell, 257 Ga. 801, 363 S.E.2d 759 (1988); Fuller v. Mayor &c. of Savannah, 193 Ga.App. 716, 389 S.E.2d 7 (1989); Burton v. Hamilton, 204 Ga.App. 18, 418 S.E.2d 398 (......
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