Section 103. Appeals to the Appellate Division  


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  •    (a) The time for application for review commences on the date shown on the notice of award and is computed as in paragraph (3) of subsection (d) of O.C.G.A. § 1-3-1.

    (b) Appearance before the Appellate Division shall be by brief only unless a request for oral argument is made at the time the application for review is filed by appeal or cross appeal. Within 10 days from the date of the certificate of service on the application for review, the appellee or cross appellee may request oral argument. Oral argument shall be limited to five minutes for each party.

       (1) Any party applying for review shall serve a copy of the application for review and enumerations of errors allegedly made by the Administrative Law Judge upon all opposing parties. Failure to file enumerations of error with the Board may result in the dismissal of the appeal or cross appeal.

       (2) The party requesting review shall have 20 days from the date shown on the certificate of service of the application for review in which to file a brief. The party requesting the review shall certify that a copy of the brief was served in person or by mail to all opposing parties on the date the brief is submitted to the Board. Opposing parties shall then have 20 days from the date of appellant's or cross appellant's certificate of service to file reply briefs with the Board. Briefs not filed in conformity with this rule will not be accepted except by permission of the Board.

       (3) Notices of Oral Argument, and other correspondence, will be sent by electronic mail and only to attorneys of record. Whenever electronic transmission is not available, a Notice of Oral Argument, or other correspondence, shall be sent by mail.

       (4) Briefs shall generally follow the format required by the appellate courts. Only the original of the brief is required to be filed with the Board. Briefs shall be limited to 20 pages, unless otherwise approved by the Board.

       (5) Where a case has been scheduled on a calendar for oral argument, no more than one postponement will be granted to reschedule the argument. If the argument cannot be made within that time, the claim may be reviewed on briefs only.

       (6) Any party scheduled for oral argument shall notify the Appellate Division no later than 48 hours before the scheduled appearance if they do not intend to appear.

       (7) Amicus curiae briefs may be filed without permission any time before a decision is issued. The amicus brief shall disclose the identity and interest of the person or group on whose behalf the brief is filed.

       (8) In a pending appeal before the Appellate Division, whenever the issues resolve, in whole or in part, or a case settles, the parties or attorneys shall immediately notify the Court Clerk of the Appellate Division: (1) first, by telephone call; and (2) if so instructed by the Appellate Division, by subsequent written or electronic confirmation. Any party or attorney who fails to follow this procedure, and who is unable to show good cause for such failure, may be subject to civil penalties, assessed attorney's fees, and/or costs.

       (9) When filing a motion for reconsideration, the parties or attorneys shall: (1) immediately notify the Court Clerk of the Appellate Division or the Board by telephone call; (2) use the ICMS doc-type labeled motion for reconsideration; (3) limit their motion to 20 pages, including briefs and exhibits, unless otherwise permitted by the Court Clerk or the Board; and (4) serve a copy on all counsel and unrepresented parties, along with supporting documents, including a separate certificate of service identifying the names and addresses served.

       (10) An appeal shall be filed electronically through ICMS. However, in the event of an outage preventing an electronic submission and the time for filing an appeal is at issue, an appeal may be filed in paper or by facsimile with any Board office. Any filing by facsimile transmission must be clearly labeled with the name of the claimant, claim number, and Board division or employee to whom the facsimile transmission is directed.

    (c) The Board will apply the law of Georgia regarding the tenure and character of newly discovered evidence required for the granting of a new trial.

    (d) The Board will not accept an application for review of an interlocutory order unless the Administrative Law Judge, in the exercise of his or her discretion, certifies that the order or decision is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had. In the event the Administrative Law Judge certifies his or her interlocutory order for immediate review, in order for the Appellate Division to have jurisdiction under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-103(a), a party must file an application for review with the Appellate Division within twenty days of the date of the original interlocutory order.

    (e) No person appearing before the Appellate Division shall engage in any undignified or discourteous conduct.

    (f) Upon determining that an appeal has been prosecuted without reasonable grounds, the Appellate Division shall have the authority to assess penalties and attorneys' fees against the offending party.