ga-deadlines · diff
v0.1.0 to v0.1.0
248 added, 31 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: ga-deadlines
description: >
- Use when the user asks about timing or deadlines in a Georgia civil case. Computes calendar-day and court-day deadlines using state holidays and the state's rules of time computation.
+ Use when the user asks about timing or deadlines in a Georgia civil
+ case. Triggers include "when is my answer due in Georgia", "how many
+ days to respond in Georgia", "30 days to respond", "compute a
+ deadline", "Georgia statute of limitations credit card", "what's the
+ SOL on a contract in Georgia", "Georgia court holidays", "court-day
+ vs calendar-day in Georgia", "discovery response deadline Georgia",
+ "motion response deadline", "default deadline Georgia", "notice of
+ appeal 30 days Georgia", "dispossessory answer deadline", "is my
+ debt too old to sue on in Georgia". Computes calendar-day and
+ court-day deadlines under O.C.G.A. § 1-3-1(d)(3) (incorporated into
+ the Civil Practice Act by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-6(a)), excludes Georgia
+ legal holidays under O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1, applies the Saturday / Sunday
+ / holiday roll-forward and the sub-7-day exclusion of intermediate
+ weekends and holidays, and maps named civil rules and statutes of
+ limitation to days plus authority via the bundled calendar script.
version: 0.1.0
---
# Georgia Case Deadlines
- > **TODO**: Author substantive content. This is a scaffolded
- > stub. Research the Georgia analog from authoritative sources
- > before writing — do not search-and-replace from another
- > state plugin.
+ > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill computes deadlines. Always
+ > independently verify in the cited rule or statute and confirm the
+ > court's actual holiday closures and the assigned judge's standing
+ > orders before treating any computed date as final.
- > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill is a procedural and
- > reference aid, not legal advice. Verify current rules,
- > deadlines, and citations against the authoritative source
- > before relying on anything here. Pair with substantive
- > review by counsel where stakes warrant.
+ Use this skill to compute deadlines under Georgia's time-computation
+ rule (O.C.G.A. § 1-3-1(d)(3), incorporated into the Civil Practice Act
+ by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-6(a)), the Georgia legal-holiday list (O.C.G.A.
+ § 1-4-1), and the named civil-procedure and statute-of-limitation rules
+ encoded in `scripts/case-calendar.py`.
- ## State context
+ ## Time computation — O.C.G.A. § 1-3-1(d)(3) / § 9-11-6(a)
- - **State**: Georgia
- - **Format rule**: O.C.G.A. § 9-11-10 + Uniform Superior Court Rules
- - **Civil rules**: Georgia Civil Practice Act (O.C.G.A. Title 9, Ch. 11)
- - **Evidence rules**: Georgia Evidence Code (O.C.G.A. Title 24)
- - **Style manual**: Georgia appellate citation (Bluebook-based)
+ Georgia counts time intervals stated in its statutes and rules as
+ follows:
- ## What to author
+ 1. **Exclude** the first day — the day of the triggering event (e.g.,
+ the day of service).
+ 2. **Count** every intermediate calendar day for periods of **7 days
+ or more**, then adjust only the last day.
+ 3. **Count** the **last** day, **unless** it falls on a **Saturday,
+ Sunday, or O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1 legal holiday** — in which case the
+ period runs through the **next business day**.
+ 4. For a prescribed period of **fewer than 7 days**, **exclude**
+ intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays from the count
+ (effectively count only business days).
- 1. Description: replace the placeholder with realistic trigger
- phrases for how a Georgia pro se filer would ask about this
- 2. Body: substantive content matching the role
- 3. Composition notes: which other ga- skills this layers
- with
- 4. References: the supporting `references/*.md` files
+ The roll-forward at the end can only extend a deadline; it never
+ shortens one. A "minus" period (e.g., a notice that must be served a
+ minimum number of days *before* an event) counts backward under the
+ same rule.
- ## References to author
+ ## Georgia legal holidays — O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1
- - Research the Georgia analog from authoritative sources
- before authoring; do NOT search-and-replace from another
- state plugin
+ Georgia sets **exactly thirteen state-holiday days each year** by
+ gubernatorial proclamation. O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1(a) adopts the federal
+ public holidays as they existed on **January 1, 2022**, plus the days
+ the Governor proclaims; the statute also requires the Governor to
+ include one of **January 19 / April 26 / June 3** among the
+ proclaimed days (the formerly named anchors, now published unlabeled
+ as "State Holiday").
- ## Cross-references
+ ### Predictable-rule holidays (auto-computed by the script)
- - `ga-statewide-format` for format baseline
- - `ga-fulton` / `ga-cobb` / `ga-county-courts` for venue
- - `ga-pro-se` for pro se conventions
+ | Holiday | Date |
+ |---|---|
+ | New Year's Day | January 1 |
+ | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | 3rd Monday in January |
+ | Memorial Day | Last Monday in May |
+ | Juneteenth | June 19 (observed in Georgia) |
+ | Independence Day | July 4 |
+ | Labor Day | 1st Monday in September |
+ | Columbus Day | 2nd Monday in October (observed; not renamed) |
+ | Veterans Day | November 11 |
+ | Thanksgiving Day | 4th Thursday in November |
+ | Day after Thanksgiving | Friday after Thanksgiving (published "State Holiday") |
+ | Christmas Day | December 25 |
+
+ Fixed-date holidays follow federal observance: a Saturday holiday
+ shifts to the preceding Friday; a Sunday holiday shifts to the
+ following Monday.
+
+ ### Floating "State Holiday" days (NOT auto-computed — verify each year)
+
+ These are proclamation-driven and vary year to year, so the script
+ does **not** include them:
+
+ - **Washington's Birthday** — statutorily a February federal holiday,
+ but Georgia **defers** its observance to the **year-end cluster**
+ (often **December 24**).
+ - **The spring "State Holiday"** — the date formerly published as
+ Confederate Memorial Day, statutorily anchored near **April 26**.
+ - In some years a **second floating "State Holiday."**
+
+ > ⚠ **Verify late-April and late-December deadlines.** If a computed
+ > deadline lands on or near late April or late December, confirm the
+ > court's actual closure against the per-year schedule published at
+ > **georgia.gov** / the **Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)**,
+ > because a floated holiday can push a rollover the script does not
+ > capture.
+
+ ## Named civil rules — quick reference
+
+ Run `python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --rules` for the canonical list.
+ Most commonly invoked (the script holds the exact day counts):
+
+ | Rule key | What it computes | Authority |
+ |---|---|---|
+ | `answer-due` | Answer after service of summons & complaint | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-12(a) |
+ | `open-default-as-of-right` | Open the default as of right (pay costs) | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-55(a) |
+ | `amended-pleading-response` | Respond to an amended pleading | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-15(a) |
+ | `interrogatory-response` | Interrogatory answers due | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-33(a) |
+ | `interrogatory-response-with-summons` | Interrogatories served with summons | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-33(a) |
+ | `rfp-response` | Response to Request for Production | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-34(b) |
+ | `rfp-response-with-summons` | RFP served with summons | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-34(b) |
+ | `rfa-response` | Response to Request for Admission (else **deemed admitted**) | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-36(a) |
+ | `rfa-response-with-summons` | RFA served with summons (else **deemed admitted**) | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-36(a) |
+ | `sj-motion-before-hearing` | SJ motion must be served *before* hearing | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-56(c) |
+ | `motion-response` | Response to a motion (typical) | USCR 6.2 |
+ | `dispossessory-answer` | Answer a dispossessory (eviction) summons | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51(b) |
+ | `dispossessory-writ` | Writ of possession effective after judgment | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55(a) |
+ | `motion-new-trial` | Motion for new trial | O.C.G.A. § 5-5-40(a) |
+ | `motion-jnov` | Motion for JNOV | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-50(b) |
+ | `notice-of-appeal` | Notice of appeal | O.C.G.A. § 5-6-38(a) |
+ | `set-aside-judgment` | Motion to set aside (certain grounds) | O.C.G.A. § 9-11-60(f) |
+ | `judgment-dormancy` | Judgment becomes dormant | O.C.G.A. § 9-12-60 |
+ | `revive-dormant-judgment` | Revive a dormant judgment | O.C.G.A. § 9-12-61 |
+ | `fbpa-demand` | FBPA written demand *before* filing suit | O.C.G.A. § 10-1-399(b) |
+
+ Key qualitative points the day counts encode:
+
+ - **Answer**: due 30 days after service (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-12(a)).
+ - **Default**: a case in default may be opened **as of right** (on
+ payment of costs) within 15 days after default (O.C.G.A.
+ § 9-11-55(a)); after that, only on the statutory showing.
+ - **Discovery responses**: 30 days, but a defendant served *with the
+ summons* gets **45 days** after service of the summons
+ (O.C.G.A. §§ 9-11-33 / 9-11-34 / 9-11-36). **Unanswered requests
+ for admission are deemed admitted** (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-36(a)).
+ - **Summary judgment**: the motion must be served **at least 30 days
+ before the hearing** (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-56(c)).
+ - **Dispossessory**: the tenant has **7 days** from service to answer
+ (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51(b)) — a sub-7-day-adjacent window where weekend
+ / holiday handling matters.
+ - **Post-judgment**: motion for new trial, JNOV, and notice of appeal
+ are each **30 days** (O.C.G.A. §§ 5-5-40, 9-11-50(b), 5-6-38(a)).
+ - **Dormancy / revival**: a judgment goes **dormant after 7 years**
+ (O.C.G.A. § 9-12-60) and may be revived within **3 years** of
+ dormancy (O.C.G.A. § 9-12-61).
+ - **FBPA**: a written **demand for relief** must be delivered **at
+ least 30 days before** filing suit (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-399(b)); it is
+ a prerequisite and does **not** toll the SOL.
+
+ ## Statute of limitations — quick map
+
+ The day counts for multi-year SOLs are approximate (~365.25/yr);
+ always confirm the exact calendar date and check tolling/revival.
+
+ | Claim type | SOL | Authority | Rule key |
+ |---|---|---|---|
+ | Simple written contract | 6 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24 | `sol-written-contract` |
+ | Credit-card debt (written cardmember agreement) | 6 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24 | `sol-credit-card` |
+ | Open account / oral / implied | 4 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25 | `sol-open-account` |
+ | Other contract (catch-all) | 4 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-26 | `sol-contract-catchall` |
+ | Personal injury | 2 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 | `sol-personal-injury` |
+ | Defamation / injury to reputation | 1 year | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 | `sol-defamation` |
+ | Trespass / damage to realty | 4 years | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-30 | `sol-realty` |
+ | Injury to / conversion / recovery of personalty | 4 years | O.C.G.A. §§ 9-3-31, 9-3-32 | `sol-personalty` |
+ | Fair Business Practices Act | 2 years | O.C.G.A. § 10-1-401 | `sol-fbpa` |
+ | FDCPA | 1 year | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d) | `sol-fdcpa` |
+ | FCRA | 2 years (from discovery; 5-yr repose) | 15 U.S.C. § 1681p | `sol-fcra-discovery` |
+ | TILA | 1 year | 15 U.S.C. § 1640(e) | `sol-tila` |
+
+ ### Credit-card characterization — the live fight
+
+ A credit-card claim runs **6 years** as a *written contract* when the
+ plaintiff can produce the cardmember agreement and frame the card's
+ use as acceptance of those written terms (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24). Where a
+ debt buyer **cannot** produce the written agreement and pleads the
+ claim as an **open account** or **account stated**, the **4-year** bar
+ of O.C.G.A. § 9-3-25 applies — often paired with a
+ proof / foundation defect. Identify which theory the complaint actually
+ pleads before computing the bar.
+
+ ## Tolling and revival
+
+ - **Fraud**: O.C.G.A. § 9-3-96 tolls the period until the fraud is (or
+ reasonably should have been) discovered.
+ - **New promise**: a new promise to pay a debt must be **in writing**
+ to revive a barred claim (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-110).
+ - **Part payment**: a partial payment is treated as a new promise
+ only when made on **written evidence** of the debt (O.C.G.A.
+ § 9-3-112) — central in debt-buyer cases that rely on a recent
+ payment to restart the clock.
+
+ ## Examples
+
+ ### "When is my answer due if I was served on Tuesday, April 15, 2025?"
+
+ ```
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2025-04-15 --rule answer-due
+ Answer due — 30 days after service of summons and complaint
+ Deadline: ...
+ From: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
+ 30 calendar days after
+ Authority: O.C.G.A. § 9-11-12(a)
+ ```
+
+ ### "Is a credit-card debt that defaulted on March 15, 2019 time-barred?"
+
+ ```
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2019-03-15 --rule sol-credit-card
+ SOL — credit-card debt on a written cardmember agreement ...
+ From: Saturday, March 15, 2019
+ ~6 years after
+ Authority: O.C.G.A. § 9-3-24
+ ```
+
+ If the plaintiff cannot produce the written agreement, also compute
+ the 4-year open-account bar:
+
+ ```
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2019-03-15 --rule sol-open-account
+ ```
+
+ ### "List every named rule the calculator knows."
+
+ ```
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --rules
+ ```
+
+ You can also compute an arbitrary interval:
+
+ ```
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2025-04-15 --days 30 --mode calendar
+ $ python3 scripts/case-calendar.py --from 2025-04-15 --days 5 --mode court
+ ```
+
+ ## How `ga-deadlines` composes with the script
+
+ The skill body above is the reference. The arithmetic lives in
+ `scripts/case-calendar.py`, which:
+
+ - Encodes the predictable O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1 holidays and computes
+ `ga_holidays(year)` for any year
+ - Implements the § 1-3-1(d)(3) roll-forward and the sub-7-day
+ exclusion of intermediate weekends and holidays
+ - Provides `is_court_day(d)`, `add_calendar_days`, `add_court_days`
+ - Exposes a `RULES` dictionary mapping named keys to
+ `(days, mode, description, authority)`
+
+ Use `--rules` for the canonical list and
+ `--from YYYY-MM-DD --rule <key>` for any specific computation.
+
+ ## Composition
+
+ - For first-response timing (answer, default, defenses): `ga-first-30-days`
+ - For discovery-response and motion timing: `ga-discovery`
+ - For debt-claim SOL and credit-card characterization: `ga-consumer-debt`
+ - For dormancy, revival, and garnishment windows: `ga-post-judgment`
+ - For format of the resulting filing: `ga-statewide-format`
+ - For citation and date verification: `ga-fact-check`