Section 24-11-3. Appointment of auditor; hearing; establishment of duplicates

   (a) The court shall either appoint an auditor for such petition in accordance with Chapter 7 of Title 9 or shall conduct a hearing on the petition. If an auditor is appointed, the provisions of Code Sections 9-7-1 through 9-7-16 and Code Section 9-7-21 shall apply to such proceedings. An auditor shall receive compensation for services rendered as may be allowed by the court, to be paid out of the funds of the office of the custodian whose records were lost, mutilated, stolen, or destroyed.

(b) If the court hears the petition, after receiving evidence, the court shall determine whether the purported duplicate is, in fact, the same as the original record which has been lost, mutilated, stolen, or destroyed, and it shall be discretionary with the court to order the whole or any part of such records established. The court shall give precedence to a petition filed pursuant to this article and hear the petition as speedily as possible.

(c) The duplicates which are established pursuant to this Code section, as nearly as may be possible, shall specify and conform to the original book and pages of the same on which they originally existed.

Code 1981, § 24-11-3, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 99, § 2/HB 24.