A Supreme Court of Georgia ruling contains a message for attorneys that some lawyers say brings Georgia law in line with federal courts: Be careful that your motion isn’t “so vague and overly broad as to render it virtually meaningless,” especially when it concerns the timing of an objection.

The high court ruled in Williams v. Harvey et al. that, in order to preserve an issue for appeal, a party must object “at the time an alleged violation of a ruled-upon motion in limine occurs at trial.”

Justice Carla Wong McMillian of the Georgia Supreme Court. Photo: John Disney/ALM