§ 9-11-58.Entry of judgment; judge’s name to be typed, printed, or stamped after signature; filing of civil case disposition form

Subsection (a) covers the judge’s signature: except where a statute specifically provides otherwise, every judgment must be signed by the judge and filed with the clerk, with the judge’s name and title legibly typed, printed, or stamped beneath the signature. That formality has a built-in safety valve, though — a missing typed, printed, or stamped name doesn’t invalidate the judgment itself.

Subsection (b) defines when a judgment is entered, and it’s not the moment the judge signs. Entry happens when the signed judgment is filed with the clerk along with a fully completed civil case disposition form, and, unless the court directs otherwise, the judgment isn’t effective for any purpose until that filing is complete. The prevailing party normally files the disposition form; if the case settled, was dismissed, or was otherwise resolved without a prevailing party, the plaintiff files it instead — though the amount of a sealed or confidential settlement doesn’t get disclosed on the form. The form itself follows the format the Judicial Council of Georgia prescribes, and if the court has sealed some of the required information, the form notes that fact rather than disclosing it. The clerk can’t enter the judgment until the disposition form is filed, though entry can’t be held up just to finish taxing costs. One category of case sits outside this whole framework: landlord-tenant dispossessory proceedings under Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 44.