Motions for summary judgment shall be filed sufficiently early so as not to delay the trial. No trial shall be continued by reason of the delayed filing of a motion for summary judgment.
Rule 6.6.Time for Filing Summary Judgment Motions
Rule 6. MOTIONS IN CIVIL ACTIONS · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceRule 6.6 requires Georgia parties to file summary judgment motions early enough that they won’t delay the trial, and bars a court from continuing a trial just because a summary judgment motion was filed late in the case.
Full Text of Rule 6.6
Plain-English Summary
Rule 6.6 puts the timing risk of a summary judgment motion squarely on the party filing it. The motion has to go in early enough that ruling on it won’t push back the trial date — and if a party waits too long, the rule doesn’t offer a bailout. No trial gets continued because a summary judgment motion showed up late.
That means a party banking on summary judgment can’t treat the trial date as a flexible backstop. If the motion, the thirty-day response window, and any request for oral hearing can’t all play out before trial, the trial goes forward anyway. The lesson for anyone filing near a trial date is simple: file early, or risk the motion getting outrun by the calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rule 6.6 set a fixed deadline for filing a summary judgment motion?
No. It requires the motion to be filed “sufficiently early so as not to delay the trial,” without naming a specific date.
Will a trial be postponed to allow more time to decide a late-filed summary judgment motion?
No. The rule states that no trial shall be continued by reason of the delayed filing of a motion for summary judgment.
Who bears the risk of filing a summary judgment motion close to trial?
The filing party. A late filing will not justify delaying the trial to accommodate it.
How does this rule interact with the response and hearing timelines for summary judgment?
Does this rule apply to motions other than summary judgment?
By its text, it addresses “motions for summary judgment” specifically.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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