Georgia Watch issues review of 2013 Supreme Court decisions

June 12, 2014 – Georgia Watch today released its sixth Court Watch Report analyzing consumer-related decisions issued by the Supreme Court of Georgia. Court Watch is a program of Georgia Watch, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization committed to strengthening the rights of consumers. Court Watch aims to publicize important consumer-related decisions by the Supreme Court of Georgia and Georgia Court of Appeals.

This year’s Court Watch Report serves two main goals: 1) informing the public of recent decisions affecting consumer law and 2) providing a preview of upcoming consumer law cases in the Georgia Supreme Court. Unlike previous Court Watch Reports, the 2013 Report contains cases still pending before the Supreme Court of Georgia. The Report also includes a select few cases that were decided in 2012 due to their significance and the fact that a 2012 Court Watch Report was not issued.

Read 2013 Court Watch Report

Some developments worth noting include:

In 2013, the Court of Appeals examined whether the plaintiffs in two cases met the requirements for class certification so that their cases could proceed as class actions, further clarifying what is required for class certification.
The Court of Appeals, Georgia Supreme Court and U.S. District Court all weighed in on the subject of what parties may bring a foreclosure, making the non-judicial foreclosure process in our state easier and further limiting the right of homeowners to bring wrongful foreclosure claims.

“Georgia Watch hopes that consumers will use the information in the 2013 Court Watch Report to help protect their legal rights,” said acting Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle.

The 2013 Court Watch Report was written by Dalton Windham, a 2015 J.D. candidate at Emory University School of Law and the Georgia Watch Fall 2013 Court Watch Fellow. Editing and select summaries in the Report were provided by Katie Villalobos, a 2015 J.D. candidate at Emory University School of Law and the Georgia Watch Spring 2014 legal extern.

Founded in 2002, Georgia Watch is a statewide consumer advocacy organization working to empower and protect Georgia consumers on matters that impact their wallets and quality of life. Through education, advocacy and policy development, Georgia Watch focuses on safeguarding consumer protections in personal finance, as well as ensuring lower utility bills, cleaner energy, access to quality, affordable healthcare, protecting the right to trial by jury and promoting access to the courts.

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