Judge affirms magistrate court eviction judgment for Royal Palms Inn; writ of possession issued with seven-day vacate period

Judge Tammy Long Hayward affirmed a magistrate court judgment in favor of Royal Palms Inn (owner Mike Patel / President Sai LLC) against tenant Cecilia (Celia) Green on an appeal from a magistrate dispossessory proceeding.

The court heard testimony from Green, who described homelessness and difficulty paying rent and alleged conduct by the landlord she characterized as criminal; the landlord’s counsel and owner stated the landlord filed for dispossessory based on nonpayment. Counsel for Royal Palms reported an amount due and owing; the court accepted the magistrate’s factual findings and the accounting presented by counsel and said it would affirm the lower-court judgment.

Judge Hayward announced in court: “the court is going to grant mister Patel the $9,653.05 of the judgment that he obtained from magistrate court. I'm going to affirm that judgment, but I'm also going to give him a right of possession, a writ of possession, for 7 days from today.” The judge explained under Georgia law a landlord who files for possession may not accept rent after filing and that accepting funds after filing could undermine an eviction filing; counsel confirmed the filing date and accounting of unpaid rent.

The order affirms the magistrate judgment for $9,653.05 and grants the landlord possession; the tenant was given seven days to vacate. The court noted the tenant may pursue criminal complaints separately but that the eviction appeal concerns possession and unpaid rent and must be decided under eviction law.