Background
Savannah Health Services, LLC, doing business as Memorial Health University Medical Center, sought permission to pursue an interlocutory appeal in litigation brought by Leanna Cucchi as the surviving spouse of John Joseph Cucchi. The underlying case was pending under State Court number STCV2503828.
The brief order does not identify the ruling for which appellate review was sought, describe the underlying claims, or disclose the arguments made in the application. It therefore provides no basis for determining the substantive issue that the proposed appeal will present.
The Court’s Holding
The Court of Appeals of Georgia granted Savannah Health Services’ application for interlocutory appeal. The order permits the hospital to file a notice of appeal within ten days of August 31, 2026.
The court also directed the State Court clerk to include the order in the appellate record. The court did not decide the merits of the underlying dispute or indicate how it might rule after briefing and consideration of the authorized appeal.
Key Takeaways
- The hospital received permission to pursue an immediate appeal before final judgment in the underlying case.
- The hospital must file its notice of appeal within ten days of the order’s date.
- The order addresses only whether the interlocutory appeal may proceed; it does not resolve any substantive claim or defense.
Why It Matters
Granting the application allows appellate review of an otherwise nonfinal trial-court ruling without requiring the parties to wait until the entire case concludes. That review could affect how the underlying litigation proceeds, depending on the issue ultimately presented.
Because the order contains no reasoning or description of the challenged ruling, it should not be cited as establishing a substantive rule concerning healthcare liability or any other merits issue.