Opinion
A23A1286
09-26-2023
JASMINE GRACHELLE MOORE v. THOMAS GENE HILL, JR.
The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:
After denying Jasmine Grachelle Moore's petition for change of child custody, the trial court awarded Thomas Gene Hill, Jr., $5,000 in attorney fees under OCGA § 9-15-14 on October 27, 2022. On January 26, 2023, the trial court issued an addendum to the OCGA § 9-15-14 award in which it (1) directed that the $5,000 award may be offset against the entire monthly amount of Hill's child support obligation until the $5,000 or any unpaid portion thereof had been offset, and (2) ordered any employer to stop Hill's child support payments. Moore then filed this direct appeal. We lack jurisdiction.
Appeals from orders granting attorney fees under OCGA § 9-15-14 must be made by discretionary application, not direct appeal. See OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (10). Moore's failure to comply with the discretionary appeal procedure in seeking review of the OCGA § 9-15-14 award deprives us of jurisdiction over this appeal, which is hereby DISMISSED. See Capricorn Systems v. Godavarthy, 253 Ga.App. 840, 841842 (560 S.E.2d 730) (2002).