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46 Ga. 245

Odom v. Gill

Supreme Court of Georgia

Decided July 15, 1872

Supreme Court of Georgia · decided 1872-07-15

County Court. Appeal. Collateral issue. Before Judge Clark. Lee Superior Court. March Term, 1872. B. B. Odom obtained a rule absolute against William C. Gill, former sheriff of Lee county, at the February Term, 1861, of Lee Inferior Court, requiring him to pay to said Odom the sum of $304 50 principal, and $15 85 interest, within sixty days, or on failure thereof to be attached for contempt. The money was never paid.

Decided 1872-07-15

McCay, Judge.

¶1This appeal must have been dismissed without any examination of the Code. Section 3554, Revised Code, expressly provides that an appeal will lie to the Superior Court, from the verdict of a jury in the County Court, on a collateral issue: Provided, the Judge of the County Court, in the exercise of his discretion, permits it. This, as the record shows, the Judge of the County Court has done, and the right to appeal would seem to be complete. It has been argued, that as it does not affirmatively appear, that this appeal was upon payment of costs and giving bond for the eventual condemnation money, the appeal was properly dismissed on that ground. It would hardly be fair to sustain this dismissal on that ground; no such point was made in the Court below. Perhaps had this ground been insisted on, it might have been possible for the appellant to perfect the record, by showing the cost had been paid and bond given. But we are not sure this was necessary. The statute says the appeal is to be at the discretion of the Judge. The very nature of such an issue being as it is only collateral to the fiual judgment, would seem to be outside of the reason of the law requiring costs to be paid and bond given in case of appeals. The appeal is provided for in lieu of a new trial, which is the course such issues take in the Superior Court.

¶2Judgment reversed.

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