Cotton v. First Nat. Bank of Gwinnett County

Citation220 S.E.2d 132,235 Ga. 511
Decision Date28 October 1975
Docket NumberNo. 30404,30404
PartiesThomas E. COTTON et al. v. FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GWINNETT COUNTY et al.
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia

Neely & Player, Edgar A. Neely, III, William F. Welch, Atlanta, for appellants.

Webb, Fowler & Tanner, T. Michael Tennant, Jones Webb, William G. Tanner, Lawrenceville, for appellees.

INGRAM, Justice.

Plaintiffs appeal 'from the vacation of the Temporary Restraining Order entered in this action on August 25, 1975,' in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County. The complaint seeks to enjoin the foreclosure of plaintiffs' real property and also seeks the recovery of damages. Plaintiffs assert that 'The central issue of law (in this appeal) is whether the court below erred in vacating the Temporary Restraining Order and allowing the foreclosure of (the) real property.'

We cannot reach the other issues pending in this case in the trial court because the foreclosure sale which plaintiffs sought to enjoin has taken place and whether the trial court erred in vacating its temporary restraining order which originally halted the foreclosure sale is now a moot question. After careful consideration, both the trial court and this court denied plaintiffs' application for supersedeas and the foreclosure sale was allowed to take place.

The fact that the bank purchased the property at the foreclosure sale and has not sold the property does not prevent the injunctive relief sought by plaintiffs from having become moot. This is necessarily true because the injunctive relief sought by plaintiffs, and which was denied by both courts, was to stop the foreclosure. The foreclosure sale has taken place. Thus, the very event sought to be restrained from happening has in fact occurred. Neither the legality of the foreclosure sale nor the other issues raised in the complaint are decided in this appeal. However, since the injunctive relief sought by plaintiffs cannot now be granted, it is moot and defendants' motion to dismiss this appeal must be granted. Brown v. Auchmuty, 232 Ga. 879, 209 S.E.2d 209 (1974).

Appeal dismissed.

All the Justices concur.

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12 cases
  • Rampersad v. Plantation At Bay Creek Homeowners Ass'n, Inc.
    • United States
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • January 21, 2022
    ...foreclosure, but the foreclosure sale is completed before the appeal can be resolved. See, e.g., Cotton v. First Nat'l Bank of Gwinnett County , 235 Ga. 511, 511, 220 S.E.2d 132 (1975) ; Goodrich v. Bank of America, N.A. , 329 Ga. App. 41, 43, 762 S.E.2d 628 (2014). But this case is differe......
  • Rampersad v. The Plantation at Bay Creek Homeowners Ass'n
    • United States
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • January 21, 2022
    ... ... required notices were published in the Gwinnett Daily Post in ... August and September ... September 1, 2020, the Gwinnett County Sheriff held a ... foreclosure sale, at ... 1. We ... first address the jurisdictional question whether these ... See, ... e.g., Georgia Dep't of Nat. Res. v. Ctr. for a ... Sustainable Coast, ... appeal can be resolved. See, e.g., Cotton v. First ... Nat'l Bank of Gwinnett County, ... ...
  • Morgan v. Ocwen Loan Servicing Llc
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Northern District of Georgia
    • July 7, 2011
    ...272 Ga. 231, 527 S.E.2d 854, 856 (2000); West v. Koufman, 259 Ga. 505, 384 S.E.2d 664, 666 (1989); Cotton v. First Nat'l Bank of Gwinnett Co., 235 Ga. 511, 220 S.E.2d 132 (1975). Thus, Plaintiff's claims for injunctive relief (Count II), wrongful foreclosure (Count VI), and negligence (Coun......
  • Faulkner v. Georgia Power Co.
    • United States
    • Georgia Supreme Court
    • July 21, 1978
    ...or restraining orders, may issue.4 The effect of the repeal of Code Ann. § 55-110 was not recognized in Cotton v. First Nat. Bank, 235 Ga. 511, 220 S.E.2d 132 (1975). ...
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