Tarver v. State
Publication Date: 2024-07-02Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice McMillianAttorneys:For plaintiff: Howard W Anderson, III, (Truluck Thomason LLC), Greenville, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Eric Christopher Peters, (Department of Law), Atlanta, William Patrick Doupé, Debra Rhodes Neumann, (Toombs Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office), Thomson, for appellee.Case number: S24A0521
Court affirms convictions for murder and other crimes over defendant's claims of improper exclusion of evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel
Sturkey v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-07-02Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice BethelAttorneys:For plaintiff: Jennifer Robinson Watts, Americus, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Mary Catherine Norman, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Lewis Ramon Lamb, (Southwestern Circuit District Attorney), Americus, for appellee.Case number: S24A0493
Court affirms malice murder conviction over defendant's contentions of insufficient evidence, improper statements by trial court, and ineffective assistance of trial counsel
Gold v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-07-01Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice McMillianAttorneys:For plaintiff: Daniel Horne Petrey, (Dekalb County Public Defender’s Office), Decatur, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Michael Alexander Oldham, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Deborah D. Wellborn, Sherry Boston, Thomas L. Williams, (Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office), Decatur, for appellee.Case number: S24A0445
Court affirms malice murder conviction in a case involving a self-defense claim over defendant's contentions of an improper jury charge on excessive force and ineffective assistance of counsel
Jones v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-07-01Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Chief Justice BoggsAttorneys:For plaintiff: William Davis Hewitt, (The Appellate Division - Georgia Public Defender Council), Savannah, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Elizabeth Rosenwasser, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Deborah D. Wellborn, Sherry Boston, Agatha K. Romanowski, (Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office), Decatur, for appellee.Case number: S24A0351
Court affirms felony murder conviction and life without parole sentence despite defendant's challenges on evidence and arguments regarding his mental condition
Harris v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-07-01Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice PinsonAttorneys:For plaintiff: Daniel Keith Franck, (Georgia Public Defender Council), Augusta, Melissa Akins, (DeKalb County Public Defender), Decatur, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Elizabeth Haase Brock, (Department of Law), Atlanta, John M. Kraft, Jared Tolton Williams, Joshua Bradley Smith, (Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office), Augusta, for appellee.Case number: S24A0321
Court affirms denial of defendant's motion to withdraw guilty plea despite claims that her mental health problems precluded a knowing and voluntary plea
Allen v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-06-28Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Presiding Justice PetersonAttorneys:For plaintiff: N/aFor defendant: N/aCase number: S24A0171
In a sharply divided opinion, court reverses malice murder conviction due to failure to instruct jury on voluntary manslaughter
Thomas v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-06-28Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice BethelAttorneys:For plaintiff: Howard Jarrett Weintraub, Sr., Benjamin Black Alper, (The Law Offices of Howard J. Weintraub, P.C.), Atlanta, Elizabeth Ann Brandenburg, (Law Firm of Shein & Brandenburg), Decatur, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Eric Christopher Peters, Michael Scott Carlson, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Fani T. Willis, Kevin Christopher Armstrong, Michael Scott Carlson, (Fulton County District Attorney’s Office), Atlanta, Jeffrey Michael Hawkins, (Clayton County District Attorney’s Office), Jonesboro, for appellee.Case number: S24A0174
Court affirms reconsideration of evidence suppression order in light of new trial grant, noting that end-of-term rule applies to final judgments but not to interlocutory evidentiary rulings
Zayas v. The State
Publication Date: 2024-06-28Practice Area:Criminal Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Supreme CourtJudge: Justice ColvinAttorneys:For plaintiff: Matthew Kyle Winchester, (Law Offices of Matthew K. Winchester), Atlanta, Lawrence Jason Zimmerman, (The Law Office of Lawrence J. Zimmerman), Marietta, for appellant.For defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Clint Christopher Malcolm, Meghan Hobbs Hill, Christopher M. Carr, Eric Christopher Peters, Mary Catherine Norman, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Lee Darragh, (Hall County District Attorney’s Office), Gainesville, Kelley Martin Robertson, Anna Victoria Fowler, (Northeastern Circuit District Attorney’s Office), Gainesville, for appellee.Case number: S24A0025
Court affirms convictions for malice murder and other crimes over defendant's challenge to sufficiency of evidence, contentions of ineffective assistance, and jury instruction error
Scrudder, Bass, Quillian, Horlock, Lazarus & Adele, LLP v. Barken et al.
Publication Date: 2024-06-21Practice Area:Legal Ethics and Attorney Discipline
Industry:Legal Services
Court: Georgia Court of AppealsJudge: Presiding Judge DillardAttorneys:For plaintiff: Laurie Daniel, Atlanta, Skyler McDonald, (Webb Daniel Friedlander LLP), Tampa, for appellant.For defendant: Andrew Rogers, William D’Antignac, Gilbert Deitch, Kara Phillips, (Deitch & Rogers, LLC), Atlanta, John Hadden, (Penn Law, LLC), Atlanta, G Spears, (Spears & Filipovits, LLC), Atlanta, for appellee; Robert Ware, Pearson Cunningham, (Hall Booth Smith), Atlanta, Russell Britt, (Attorney at Law), Atlanta, Michael Wynter, (City of Atlanta- Department of Law), Atlanta, for other party; Rusi Patel, (Georgia Municipal Association, Inc.), Atlanta, for AM.Case number: A24A0159
Court reverses sanctions against law firm, where sanctions had been awarded on account of law firm's failure to timely disclose conflict of interest
Geiger v. Allmond
Publication Date: 2024-06-20Practice Area:Family Law
Industry:Court: Georgia Court of AppealsJudge: Presiding Judge DoyleAttorneys:For plaintiff: Andrew Lavoie, (Bruce, Mathews & Lavoie), Statesboro, for appellant.For defendant: Gabriel Cliett, (Attorney at Law), Metter, Jimmy Howell, (Howell Law Group, LLC), Statesboro, Madison Everett, (Gabe T. Cliett, P. C.), Statesboro, for appellee; Dale Busbee, (Busbee Law Group, LLC), Statesboro, for other party.Case number: A24A0061
Court reverses custody award that favored a grandmother over a mother, citing insufficient evidence to overcome parental presumption