O.C.G.A.

O.C.G.A. § 5-3-8 (2019)

Requirement of consent to withdrawal of appeal

✓ O.C.G.A. — 2019 edition (Public.Resource.Org Release 73)
Code text and O.C.G.A. statutory annotations on this page reflect the 2019 Official Code of Georgia Annotated (Public.Resource.Org Release 73, 2019-08-21; public domain per Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). The Syfert case-law annotations in Notes of Decisions, below, are current.
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After an appeal has been entered, no person shall be allowed to withdraw the appeal without the consent of the adverse party. (Laws 1799, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 495; Code 1863, § 3550; Code 1868, § 3573; Code 1873, § 3629; Code 1882, § 3629; Civil Code 1895, § 4471; Civil Code 1910, § 5016; Code 1933, § 6-503.)

Annotations

JUDICIAL DECISIONS Sole provision for dismissing appeal. - This section, except for defects in proceedings, is only provision for dismissing appeal. Rousch v. Green, 2 Ga. App. 112, 58 S.E. 313 (1907). Only provision for dismissal of appeal to superior court, except for defects in appeal proceedings, is found in this section,

which provides that no person shall be allowed to withdraw an appeal after it shall be entered but by consent of adverse party. Rabun v. Planters Cotton Oil Co., 68 Ga. App. 37, 21 S.E.2d 922 (1942). Dismissal of appeal without adverse party’s consent. - Under general law, an appeal is a de novo investigation,

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Date: 06/14/13 Time: 10:58:26

GA RV 13 RV 4(T4-6) - EP

and it is error for the court to dismiss the appeal when there is no defect in appeal proceedings, and when the adverse party does not consent for appeal to be withdrawn or dismissed. Rose City Foods, Inc. v. Usry, 86 Ga. App. 307, 71 S.E.2d 649 (1952). Certification of case back to inferior court. - In appeal from inferior court, or assessors in condemnation proceeding, to superior court, the law contemplates that if judgment is obtained in superior court the prevailing party is entitled to a superior court execution and aid of all processes of superior court to enforce the court’s judgment. A dismissal of the entire case or proceedings with consent of court might be permissible under some circumstances, for this would be a final termination of the entire case or proceedings, but appellant cannot, at will and without consent of adverse party, certify case back to inferior court, or to assessors, and relegate adverse party to processes of inferior court. Such would be the effect of allowing appellant to withdraw the appellant’s appeal without consent of adverse party contrary to statutory provisions.

State Hwy. Bd. v. Long, 61 Ga. App. 173, 6 S.E.2d 130 (1939). Attempted withdrawal of appeal by appellant, in vacation. - Attempt by appellant to withdraw, in vacation, appeal from judgment of court of ordinary (now probate court) establishing a will, by entry on docket by clerk of court, is a nullity. Rasberry v. Harville, 90 Ga. 530, 16 S.E. 299 (1892). Applicability to other provisions. - Provisions of former Code 1933, § 6-503 (see O.C.G.A. § 5-3-8) were applicable to appeals in condemnation proceedings instituted under statute governing condemnation by state and national government and all others exercising right of eminent domain. State Hwy. Dep’t v. Blalock, 98 Ga. App. 630, 106 S.E.2d 552 (1958). Cited in Tommey & Stewart v. Finney, 45 Ga. 155 (1872); Robison v. Medlock, 59 Ga. 598 (1877); Ellis v. O’Neal, 175 Ga. 652, 165 S.E. 751 (1932); Bethea County v. Dixon, 72 Ga. App. 384, 33 S.E.2d 723 (1945); State Hwy. Dep’t v. Thomas, 122 Ga. App. 252, 176 S.E.2d 635 (1970); Pilgrim v. Brookfield West, Inc., 136 Ga. App. 619, 222 S.E.2d 137 (1975).

RESEARCH REFERENCES ALR. - First decision of intermediate court as law of the case on appeal to court of last resort from subsequent decision, 41 ALR 1078; 118 ALR 1286.

Public interest as ground for refusal to dismiss an appeal, where question has become moot, or dismissal is sought by one or both parties, 132 ALR 1185.

ARTICLE 2 PROCEDURE

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1988–2025 · leading case: Rogers v. Rockdale Cnty., 371 S.E.2d 189 (Ga. Ct. App. 1988).
Rogers v. Rockdale Cnty., 371 S.E.2d 189 (Ga. Ct. App. 1988). · cites it 2× “In regard to the propriety of appellants’ motion for reconsideration, which they contend was actually an attack on the first judgment in the form of a motion to set aside based upon fraud, accident or mistake pursuant to OCGA § 9-11-60 (d), appellees assert that they received no…”
La' Shaun Clark v. Jefferson Capital Sys., LLC as Assignee of One Main Fin. Grp., LLC (Ga. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 12× “Clark argues that the superior court erred in denying her “default judgment” under OCGA § 5-3-8 (a) based on Jefferson Capital’s failure to file a response to her petition for review.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.