Opinion
A24A1267
04-15-2024
GEORGE ALEXANDER et al. v. RANSOM RABUN.
The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:
After the magistrate court entered judgment and a writ of possession against them, George Alexander and Kezhia Blanks filed a petition for review in the state court. The state court dismissed the petition as untimely, and Alexander and Blanks now appeal directly to this Court. We lack jurisdiction.
Appeals from state court decisions reviewing lower court decisions by certiorari or de novo proceedings must be initiated by filing an application for discretionary appeal. OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (11); Strachan v. Meritor Mortgage Corp. East, 216 Ga.App. 82, 82 (453 S.E.2d 119) (1995). "Compliance with the discretionary appeals procedure is jurisdictional." Smoak v. Dept. of Human Resources, 221 Ga.App. 257, 257 (471 S.E.2d 60) (1996). The failure of Alexander and Blanks to follow the discretionary appeal procedure deprives us of jurisdiction over this direct appeal, which is hereby DISMISSED.