Section 10-5A-29. Judicial review of Commissioner's orders

   (a) Any person aggrieved by a final order of the Commissioner may obtain a review of the order in a superior court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing in court, within 60 days after the entry of the order, a written petition praying that the order be modified or set aside in whole or in part. A copy of the petition for review shall be served upon the Commissioner.

(b) Upon the filing of a petition for review, except where the taking of additional evidence is ordered by the court pursuant to subsection (e) or (f) of this Code section, the court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of the matter, and the Commissioner may not modify or set aside the order, in whole or in part.

(c) The filing of a petition for review under subsection (a) of this Code section does not, unless specifically ordered by the court, operate as a stay of the Commissioner's order, and the Commissioner may enforce or ask the court to enforce the order pending the outcome of the review proceedings.

(d) Upon receipt of the petition for review, the Commissioner shall certify and file in the court a copy of the order and the transcript or record of the evidence upon which it was based. If the order became final by operation of law under subsection (d) of Code Section 10-5A-28, the Commissioner shall certify and file in court the summary order and evidence of its service upon the parties to it and an affidavit certifying that no hearing has been held and that the order became final pursuant to subsection (d) of Code Section 10-5A-28.

(e) If either the aggrieved party or the Commissioner applies to the court for leave to adduce additional evidence and shows to the satisfaction of the court that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce the evidence in the hearing before the Commissioner or other good cause, the court may order the additional evidence to be taken by the Commissioner under such conditions as the court considers proper.

(f) If new evidence is ordered taken by the court, the Commissioner may modify the findings and order by reason of the additional evidence and shall file in the court the additional evidence together with any modified or new findings or order.

(g) The court shall review the petition based upon the original record before the Commissioner as amended under subsections (e) and (f) of this Code section. The findings of the Commissioner as to the facts, if supported by competent, material, and substantive evidence, are conclusive. Based upon this review, the court may affirm, modify, enforce, or set aside the order, in whole or in part.

Code 1981, § 10-5A-29, enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 1636, § 1.