• Goodman v. The State

    Publication Date: 2022-06-07
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Eric C. Crawford, (Crawford & Boyle, LLC), Monroe, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Eric Christopher Peters, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Daniel Brent Cochran, Tuttle Wright Barksdale, (Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office), Gray, Monticello, for appellee.

    Case Number: S22A0306

    Court affirms convictions for felony murder and other crimes but vacates a sentence over defendant's contentions of insufficient evidence and error admitting evidence

  • Hounkpatin v. The State

    Publication Date: 2022-06-02
    Practice Area: Criminal Law | Evidence
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: G. Richard Stepp, (G. Richard Stepp, P.C.), Lawrenceville, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Emily Rebecca Polk, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Patsy A. Austin-Gatson, Lee Franklin Tittsworth, Clifford Louis Kurlander, (Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office), Lawrenceville, for appellee.

    Case Number: S22A0564

    Trial Court Properly Admitted Evidence That Defendant Assaulted Child Victim and Siblings Prior to Victim's Death

  • Davis v. The State

    Publication Date: 2021-12-22
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Gregory Davis Smith, (Conger & Smith, LLC), Bainbridge, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Alex Martin Bernick, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Gregory W. Edwards, (Dougherty County District Attorney's Office), Albany, for appellee.

    Case Number: S21A1198

    Jury Did Not Have to Believe Defendant's Self-Serving Testimony That He Was Defending Himself

  • Pindling v. The State

    Publication Date: 2021-04-29
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Matthew Kyle Winchester, (Law Offices of Matthew K. Winchester), Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: William Jerles, (Daniel, Lawson, Tuggle & Jerles, LLP), Perry, for appellee. Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Catherine Harris Helms, Bradfield M. Shealy, Michelle Thomas Harrison, (Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office), Valdosta, for other party.

    Case Number: S21A0084

    Trial Court's Failure to Instruct Jury That Accomplice Testimony Must Be Corroborated Was Plain Error

  • Allen v. The State

    Publication Date: 2020-12-16
    Practice Area: Constitutional Law | Criminal Law | Evidence
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Steven Alexander Miller, (Steven A. Miller Law), Summerville, Christina Rupp Cribbs, (Office of the Appellate Defender), Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Christopher Allen Arnt, Herbert E. Franklin, Jr., Kevin Jameson Baugh, (Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office), LaFayette, Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Michael Alexander Oldham, (Department of Law), Atlanta, for appellee.

    Case Number: S20A1081

    Any Error in Admission of Statement Implicating Co-Conspirator Was Harmless

  • Fulton County v. Ward-Poag

    Publication Date: 2020-11-04
    Practice Area: Bankruptcy | Civil Procedure | Whistleblower Laws
    Industry: State and Local Government
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Leslie J Bryan, Allegra J. Lawrence, Maia Jeanelle Cogen, Lisa Michele Haldar, (Lawrence & Bundy LLC), Atlanta, Kaye Woodard Burwell, (Office of the Fulton County Attorney), Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Rebecca Wyatt McLaws, (McLaws law group LLC), Marietta, for appellee. Lisa Young Smith West, (The West Firm), Atlanta, for Other Party. Philip Michael Thompson, (Ellis Painter Ratterree & Adams LLP), Savannah, David Norton Nelson, (Chambless, Higdon, Richardson, Katz & Griggs, LLP), Macon, Elissa Blache Haynes, (Drew, Eckl & Farnham LLP), Atlanta, Malissa Anne Kaufold-Wiggins, (Balch & Bingham, LLP), Atlanta, for Amicus Appellant.

    Case Number: S19G1619

    Triable Factual Issues as to Whether Party's Inconsistent Position in Bankruptcy Case Barred Her Whistleblower Claims

  • Parker v. The State

    Publication Date: 2020-10-07
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Richard A. Grossman, (Law Office of Richard A Grossman), Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Ashleigh Dene Headrick, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Paul L. Howard, David K. Getachew-Smith, Lyndsey Hurst Rudder, (Fulton County District Attorney's Office), Atlanta, for appellee.

    Case Number: S20A0826

    Court affirms defendant's murder convictions over multiple contentions of error relating to his mental state

  • Heyward v. The State

    Publication Date: 2020-09-03
    Practice Area: Constitutional Law | Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Amanda Jones Walker, (Eastern Judicial Circuit Office of the Public Defender), Savannah, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, Alex Martin Bernick, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Matthew Breedon, Margaret Ellen Heap, (Office of the District Attorney Eastern Judicial Circuit), Savannah, for appellee.

    Case Number: S20A0946

    Trial Counsel's Failure to Introduce Equivocal Evidence Supporting Self-Defense Theory Did Not Establish Ineffective Representation

  • The State v. Lane

    Publication Date: 2020-03-03
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Christopher M. Carr, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Sherry Boston, Destiny H. Bryant, Jason Matthew Rea, (Dekalb County District Attorney's Office), Decatur, for appellant.
    for defendant: Donald Franklin Samuel, (Garland, Samuel & Loeb, P.C.), Atlanta, for appellee.

    Case Number: S19A1424

    Georgia Courts Considering Whether a Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to a New Trial Should Consider the Prejudicial Effect of Trial Court Errors and Deficient Counsel Performance

  • Chavez v. The State

    Publication Date: 2020-01-28
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Georgia Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Peterson
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Matthew Kyle Winchester, (Law Offices of Matthew K. Winchester), Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Patricia B. Attaway Burton, Paula Khristian Smith, Leslie Anna Coots, Christopher M. Carr, Ashleigh Dene Headrick, (Department of Law), Atlanta, Paul L. Howard, Jr., David K. Getachew-Smith, Sr., Lyndsey Hurst Rudder, (Fulton County District Attorney's Office), Atlanta, for appellee.

    Case Number: S19A1573

    Evidence Did Not Support Conviction for Possession of Firearm by First-Offender Probationer