{
  "id": 8525167,
  "name": "DAVID SEELEY v. DEBORAH SEELEY",
  "name_abbreviation": "Seeley v. Seeley",
  "decision_date": "1991-04-16",
  "docket_number": "No. 9014DC650",
  "first_page": "572",
  "last_page": "574",
  "citations": [
    {
      "type": "official",
      "cite": "102 N.C. App. 572"
    }
  ],
  "court": {
    "name_abbreviation": "N.C. Ct. App.",
    "id": 14983,
    "name": "North Carolina Court of Appeals"
  },
  "jurisdiction": {
    "id": 5,
    "name_long": "North Carolina",
    "name": "N.C."
  },
  "cites_to": [
    {
      "cite": "N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 1-271",
      "category": "laws:leg_statute",
      "reporter": "N.C. Gen. Stat.",
      "year": 1983,
      "opinion_index": 0
    }
  ],
  "analysis": {
    "cardinality": 189,
    "char_count": 2798,
    "ocr_confidence": 0.748,
    "pagerank": {
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      "percentile": 0.3081478881587305
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    "sha256": "363aedb91bcc68de4091799fd0633000e9b6fbbc9c9fa9e72c590cdc7a21f4e9",
    "simhash": "1:c3550de38e49c1b1",
    "word_count": 475
  },
  "last_updated": "2023-07-14T21:20:04.252791+00:00",
  "provenance": {
    "date_added": "2019-08-29",
    "source": "Harvard",
    "batch": "2018"
  },
  "casebody": {
    "judges": [
      "Judges Phillips and Eagles concur."
    ],
    "parties": [
      "DAVID SEELEY v. DEBORAH SEELEY"
    ],
    "opinions": [
      {
        "text": "WYNN, Judge.\nIn this appeal, defendant\u2019s attorney, Laurie Bradsher Preddy (\u201cMs. Preddy\u201d), acting on her own behalf, seeks to overturn the order reducing the amount of attorney\u2019s fees that the plaintiff, David Seeley (\u201cMr. Seeley\u201d), had been previously ordered (by another district court judge) to pay her. For the reasons which follow, we dismiss this appeal.\nI\nMs. Preddy had represented Mrs. Seeley in an action against Mr. Seeley for enforcement of court-ordered child support. On 5 June 1987, District Judge Orlando Hudson (now \u201cSuperior Court Judge\u201d) ordered Mr. Seeley to pay $1552.90 in attorney\u2019s fees which Mrs. Seeley incurred in prosecuting the action. Despite a later contempt citation, he failed to comply with the order to pay Mrs. Seeley\u2019s attorney\u2019s fees.\nIn January 1990, at a show cause hearing, District Court Judge Carolyn Johnson, upon motion of Mr. Seeley\u2019s attorney, reduced the attorney\u2019s fees previously ordered by Judge Hudson from $1552.90 to $575.00. From Judge Johnson\u2019s order of reduction, Ms. Preddy appealed on her own behalf.\nII\nNotwithstanding the meritorious nature of Ms. Preddy\u2019s argument, we are constrained to dismiss her attempt to appeal this issue because she has appealed on her own behalf and not on behalf of her client, Mrs. Seeley. Clearly, North Carolina law does not permit the taking of an appeal by one who is not a party to the action. N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 1-271 (1983) provides: \u201cAny party aggrieved may appeal in the cases prescribed in this Chapter.\u201d (Emphasis added.) An attorney is not a party to an action brought on behalf of her client.\nThe record in this case shows that Ms. Preddy filed a notice of appeal on her own behalf to overturn the order of Judge Johnson. The record further shows without qualification over her signature that the appeal was not taken by either of the parties to this action, but by \u201cLaurie Bradsher Preddy, Movant.\u201d Since Ms. Preddy is not a party to this action, this appeal is,\nDismissed.\nJudges Phillips and Eagles concur.",
        "type": "majority",
        "author": "WYNN, Judge."
      }
    ],
    "attorneys": [
      "No brief filed for the parties.",
      "Laurie Bradsher Freddy, pro se."
    ],
    "corrections": "",
    "head_matter": "DAVID SEELEY v. DEBORAH SEELEY\nNo. 9014DC650\n(Filed 16 April 1991)\nAppeal and Error \u00a7 68 (NCI4th)\u2014 reduction of attorney fees\u2014 appeal by attorney \u2014dismissed\nAn appeal was dismissed where the attorney fees awarded in a child support action were subsequently reduced and the attorney appealed on her own behalf. North Carolina law does not permit the taking of an appeal by one who is not a party to the action, and an attorney is not a party to an action brought on behalf of her client. N.C.G.S. \u00a7 1-271 (1983).\nAm Jur 2d, Appeal and Error \u00a7 195.\nAPPEAL by attorney for defendant from order entered 5 February 1990 in DURHAM County District Court by Judge Carolyn D. Johnson. Heard in the Court of Appeals 23 January 1991.\nNo brief filed for the parties.\nLaurie Bradsher Freddy, pro se."
  },
  "file_name": "0572-01",
  "first_page_order": 602,
  "last_page_order": 604
}