ga-law-references · diff
v0.1.0 to v0.1.0
264 added, 31 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: ga-law-references
description: >
- Matter-neutral reference catalog for Georgia civil practice: Georgia Civil Practice Act (O.C.G.A. Title 9, Ch. 11) civil rules, Georgia Evidence Code (O.C.G.A. Title 24) evidence rules, statute citations, fees-and-costs, local rules, key cases, and the canonical online-sources catalog.
+ Matter-neutral reference hub for Georgia civil practice. Indexes the
+ Georgia reference corpus — Uniform Court Rules (USCR + Uniform State
+ Court Rules + Uniform Magistrate Court Rules + Supreme Court & Court
+ of Appeals rules) and the O.C.G.A. chapters most used in civil,
+ consumer, and family matters (Title 9 Civil Practice Act +
+ limitations, Title 24 Evidence, Title 10 FBPA, Title 18 garnishment,
+ Title 44 landlord-tenant + exemptions, Title 19 domestic relations,
+ Title 15 courts, Title 11 UCC) — plus the shared federal corpora it
+ symlinks. Triggers include "Georgia statute reference", "O.C.G.A.
+ text", "look up O.C.G.A. §", "Georgia court rules", "USCR", "Uniform
+ Superior Court Rule", "Georgia Civil Practice Act", "Georgia
+ evidence rule", "Georgia statute of limitations", "look up Georgia
+ case law", "what's the Georgia rule on X". Every other ga- skill
+ cites into this corpus for rule numbers, statute sections, and case
+ authorities.
version: 0.1.0
---
# Georgia Law References
- > **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 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.
- > **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.
+ This is the **matter-neutral reference hub** for Georgia civil
+ practice. It is a pointer index: it tells the other `ga-` skills
+ where the rule text, statute text, and case authorities live, and
+ gives a curated topic map of the key Georgia authorities. It does
+ **not** reproduce statutory text — read the cited section in the
+ corpus or at an open source before relying on it.
- ## State context
+ ## Corpus layout
- - **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)
+ ```
+ references/
+ ├── court-rules/ # Verbatim Georgia court-rule corpus:
+ │ # Uniform Superior Court Rules (USCR)
+ │ # Uniform State Court Rules
+ │ # Uniform Magistrate Court Rules
+ │ # Supreme Court of Georgia rules
+ │ # Court of Appeals rules
+ ├── ga-statutes-debt/ # O.C.G.A. chapters most used in civil,
+ │ # consumer, and family practice
+ │ # (slug retains the legacy "-debt"
+ │ # suffix for path stability; scope is
+ │ # full civil + family — see below)
+ ├── federal-debt-laws/ # FDCPA, FCRA, TILA, ECOA, etc. (symlink
+ │ # into claude-legal-federal-laws)
+ ├── federal-bankruptcy/ # Title 11 U.S.C. (symlink)
+ └── ucc-model/ # Model UCC Articles 1/2/3/9 (symlink)
+ ```
- ## What to author
+ The three symlinked directories point into the shared
+ `claude-legal-federal-laws` plugin; the federal text is not
+ duplicated per state. Georgia-specific text (`court-rules/`,
+ `ga-statutes-debt/`) stays in-plugin.
- 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
+ ### O.C.G.A. chapters carried in `ga-statutes-debt/`
- ## References to author
+ | O.C.G.A. | Subject |
+ |----------|---------|
+ | Title 9, Ch. 11 | **Civil Practice Act** (pleadings, motions, discovery, judgments) |
+ | Title 9, Ch. 3 | **Limitation of actions** (statutes of limitation) |
+ | Title 24 | **Georgia Evidence Code** (2013 FRE-modeled) |
+ | Title 10, Ch. 1 | **Fair Business Practices Act** (FBPA, Art. 15 Pt. 2) |
+ | Title 7, Ch. 3 | **Georgia Industrial / Installment Loan Act** |
+ | Title 18, Ch. 4 | **Garnishment** (post-2016 renumbered chapter) |
+ | Title 44, Ch. 7 | **Landlord and tenant** (dispossessory + security deposits) |
+ | Title 44, Ch. 13 | **Debtor's exemptions** (homestead / personalty) |
+ | Title 19 | **Domestic relations** (divorce, support, custody, family violence) |
+ | Title 15 | **Courts** (jurisdiction, terms, court organization) |
+ | Title 11 | **Uniform Commercial Code** (Georgia enactment) |
- - Research the Georgia analog from authoritative sources
- before authoring; do NOT search-and-replace from another
- state plugin
+ ## Curated authority index by topic
- ## Cross-references
+ Chapter-level pointers only — read the section in the corpus or at an
+ open source for the operative text.
- - `ga-statewide-format` for format baseline
- - `ga-fulton` / `ga-cobb` / `ga-county-courts` for venue
- - `ga-pro-se` for pro se conventions
+ ### Courts and jurisdiction (Title 15)
+
+ - **O.C.G.A. § 15-6-8** — Superior Court (general jurisdiction;
+ exclusive over divorce, equity, title to land, felonies).
+ - **O.C.G.A. § 15-7-4** — State Court (limited jurisdiction;
+ civil actions of **any amount** except the superior-exclusive
+ classes — most debt and tort suits sit here).
+ - **O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2** — Magistrate Court (civil jurisdiction
+ capped at **$15,000**; dispossessory, garnishment within cap,
+ distress warrants; appeal de novo).
+
+ ### Civil Practice Act (O.C.G.A. Title 9, Ch. 11)
+
+ - **§ 9-11-4** — process; summons and service (incl. § 9-11-4(f)
+ methods and § 9-11-4.1 service by mail / waiver).
+ - **§ 9-11-12** — defenses and objections; **answer due 30 days**
+ (§ 9-11-12(a)); 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss.
+ - **§ 9-11-33 / 9-11-34 / 9-11-36** — interrogatories (50-cap
+ incl. subparts), requests for production, requests for admission
+ (deemed admitted if no timely response).
+ - **§ 9-11-55** — default judgment (open as of right within 15 days
+ on payment of costs; thereafter only on the (b) showing).
+ - **§ 9-11-56** — summary judgment (motion served ≥ 30 days before
+ hearing).
+
+ ### Evidence (O.C.G.A. Title 24)
+
+ - **§ 24-8-803(6)** — business-records hearsay exception (the
+ debt-buyer / records-foundation workhorse).
+ - **§ 24-9-902(11)** — self-authentication of certified domestic
+ business records (custodian affidavit + notice to adverse parties).
+
+ ### Statutes of limitation (O.C.G.A. Title 9, Ch. 3)
+
+ - **§ 9-3-24** — written / simple contract = **6 years**.
+ - **§ 9-3-25** — open account / oral / implied contract = **4 years**.
+ - **§ 9-3-26** — catch-all contract limitation = **4 years**.
+ - **§ 9-3-33** — injury to the person = **2 years** (defamation
+ = 1 year; loss of consortium = 4 years).
+
+ ### Consumer / debt (Title 10, Title 7)
+
+ - **§ 10-1-390 et seq.** — Fair Business Practices Act (FBPA);
+ prohibition on unfair / deceptive consumer-marketplace acts.
+ - **§ 10-1-399** — FBPA private remedy: actual damages, treble
+ damages for intentional violation, attorney fees, and the
+ **30-day pre-suit written demand** (§ 10-1-399(b)).
+ - Title 7, Ch. 3 — Installment Loan Act (loans ≤ $3,000; the only
+ Georgia debt-side licensing regime).
+
+ ### Garnishment (Title 18, Ch. 4)
+
+ - **§ 18-4-4** — process and garnishment period; garnishee answer
+ window.
+ - **§ 18-4-5** — wage-garnishment limit (lesser of 25% of disposable
+ earnings or the amount over 30× the federal minimum wage).
+ - **§ 18-4-6** — exempt funds (retirement, Social Security, SSI, VA,
+ unemployment, workers' comp, disability).
+ - **§ 18-4-15** — defendant's claim / challenge mechanism for
+ asserting an exemption.
+
+ ### Exemptions (Title 44, Ch. 13)
+
+ - **§ 44-13-100** — debtor's exemptions (homestead, vehicle,
+ wildcard, household goods, tools); Georgia has **opted out** of the
+ federal bankruptcy exemptions (§ 44-13-100(b)).
+
+ ### Family law (Title 19)
+
+ - **§ 19-5-3** — grounds for divorce (12 fault + no-fault
+ "irretrievably broken").
+ - **§ 19-6-15** — child support (income-shares model; BCSO table).
+ - **§ 19-9-3** — custody (best-interests standard; child election at
+ 14+).
+ - **§ 19-13-1 et seq.** — Family Violence Act (definition,
+ protective orders).
+
+ ### Landlord-tenant (Title 44, Ch. 7)
+
+ - **§ 44-7-50** — demand for possession + sworn dispossessory
+ affidavit (precondition to a dispossessory).
+ - **§ 44-7-51** — summons and service; **answer due 7 days** from
+ actual service (§ 44-7-51(b)).
+ - **§ 44-7-55** — judgment and writ of possession.
+
+ ### Key cases (general civil + family)
+
+ Cite with the official reporter and the S.E.2d parallel (Georgia
+ still uses the official `Ga.` / `Ga. App.` reporters — there is no
+ public-domain neutral citation).
+
+ - **Lau's Corp., Inc. v. Haskins, 261 Ga. 491, 405 S.E.2d 474
+ (1991)** — Celotex-style summary judgment; movant may point to the
+ absence of evidence (governs § 9-11-56).
+ - **Stokes v. Stokes, 246 Ga. 765, 273 S.E.2d 169 (1980)** —
+ Georgia is an equitable-distribution (not community-property)
+ state for marital property.
+ - **Hill v. American Express, 289 Ga. App. 576, 657 S.E.2d 547
+ (2008)** — credit-card debt is a written contract (6-year
+ limitation under § 9-3-24).
+ - **Nyankojo v. North Star Capital Acquisition, 298 Ga. App. 6, 679
+ S.E.2d 57 (2009)** — debt-buyer must prove an unbroken chain of
+ assignment (the go-to for attacking debt-buyer standing).
+ - **Bowen v. Savoy, 308 Ga. 204, 839 S.E.2d 546 (2020)** — the
+ "proper case" prong of § 9-11-55(b) needs no reasonable
+ explanation.
+
+ ## Citation conventions
+
+ - **Cases**: `Lau's Corp. v. Haskins, 261 Ga. 491, 405 S.E.2d 474
+ (1991)` (Supreme Court); `Nyankojo v. North Star Capital
+ Acquisition, 298 Ga. App. 6, 679 S.E.2d 57 (2009)` (Court of
+ Appeals). Official `Ga.` / `Ga. App.` reporters plus the `S.E.2d`
+ regional parallel — Georgia has not adopted a public-domain neutral
+ citation, so always supply the reporter cite.
+ - **Statutes**: `O.C.G.A. § 9-11-56` (always with `§`; subsections
+ `O.C.G.A. § 10-1-399(b)`).
+ - **Court rules**: `USCR 6.2` (Uniform Superior Court Rules); name
+ the rule set for the others (e.g., "Uniform Magistrate Court Rule
+ __", "Supreme Court of Georgia Rule __").
+ - **Federal**: `15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)`; `12 C.F.R. § 1006.34`.
+
+ ## Online sources
+
+ Open verification sources (Georgia has no free official statute-HTML
+ site; the official LexisNexis O.C.G.A. is paywalled and copyrighted,
+ so it is **not** scraped):
+
+ - **Statutes (O.C.G.A.)**:
+ - FindLaw — `codes.findlaw.com/ga/` (current, scrapeable; primary
+ open mirror for the puller).
+ - Justia — `law.justia.com/codes/georgia/` (corroborating mirror;
+ note Justia **403s automated fetch**, so it is a fallback/manual
+ source, not the automated puller's target).
+ - `ga.elaws.us/ocga/{title-chapter-section}` (usable but can lag;
+ confirm currency against FindLaw).
+ - **Court rules**: `georgiacourts.gov` (and `assets.georgiacourts.gov`
+ for dated USCR / Uniform Magistrate Court Rule PDFs); Council of
+ Superior Court Judges at `cscj.georgiacourts.gov`; Supreme Court
+ rules at `gasupreme.us/rules/`; Court of Appeals rules at
+ `gaappeals.gov/court-rules/`.
+ - **Opinions**: `gasupreme.us/opinions/`, `gaappeals.gov/opinion-search/`,
+ and CourtListener (court IDs **`ga`** = Supreme Court of Georgia,
+ **`gactapp`** = Court of Appeals of Georgia).
+ - **County e-filing portals**: PeachCourt (`peachcourt.com`; Cobb,
+ Gwinnett among others) and Odyssey eFileGA
+ (`efilega.tylertech.cloud`; Fulton and many others); county-to-portal
+ map at `georgiacourts.gov/efile-court-records/`.
+
+ ## Legal data APIs
+
+ - **CourtListener / Legal Data Hunter MCP servers** — bundled by the
+ shared `claude-legal-federal-laws` dependency (its `.mcp.json`) for
+ live case-law lookup. Use court IDs `ga` and `gactapp` to scope to
+ Georgia. These are the runtime path for "look up Georgia case law"
+ — the snapshotted corpus carries statute and rule text, not the full
+ opinion set.
+ - **Puller URL patterns** (used by the refresh scripts):
+ - Statutes — `pull_georgia_statutes.py` (to be added): FindLaw
+ (`codes.findlaw.com/ga/`), with Justia / `ga.elaws.us` as mirrors.
+ - Court rules — `pull_georgia_rules.py` (to be added):
+ `georgiacourts.gov` / `assets.georgiacourts.gov` PDFs plus the
+ appellate-court rule pages.
+
+ ## Composition
+
+ Every other `ga-` skill cites **into this corpus** for rule numbers,
+ statute sections, and case authorities rather than restating the law
+ itself. In particular:
+
+ - **`ga-fact-check`** — verifies the citations a draft relies on
+ against this corpus (and the live MCP lookup for cases).
+ - **`ga-statewide-format`** — the pleading-form baseline
+ (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-10 + the Uniform Court Rules indexed here).
+ - **`ga-deadlines`** — time computation (§ 1-3-1 / § 9-11-6) and the
+ § 1-4-1 holiday set; this hub holds the limitation periods it pairs
+ with.
+ - **`ga-consumer-debt`** — the FBPA, Installment Loan Act,
+ garnishment, exemption, and SOL pointers above plus the federal
+ symlinks.
+ - **`ga-family-law`** — the Title 19 domestic-relations pointers.
+
+ For the specific filing court, see the venue skills (`ga-fulton`,
+ `ga-cobb`, `ga-gwinnett`, `ga-county-courts`); for pro se conventions,
+ `ga-pro-se`.
+
+ ## References
+
+ - `references/court-rules/` — verbatim Georgia court-rule corpus
+ (USCR, Uniform State Court Rules, Uniform Magistrate Court Rules,
+ Supreme Court & Court of Appeals rules); populated by
+ `pull_georgia_rules.py`.
+ - `references/ga-statutes-debt/` — O.C.G.A. chapters most relevant to
+ civil, consumer, and family practice; populated by
+ `pull_georgia_statutes.py`.
+ - `references/federal-debt-laws/` — shared federal-law corpus
+ (symlink).
+ - `references/federal-bankruptcy/` — shared Title 11 corpus (symlink).
+ - `references/ucc-model/` — shared Model UCC text (symlink).