Appeal Nullified Due to Defective Initial Notice

The appellate court was seized of an appeal concerning a first-instance decision that declared an initial pleading null and void due to procedural defects, specifically involving the initial notice of appeal which failed to properly designate the respondent's counsel, thereby rendering the notification defective. The court reasoned that the initial defective notice could not be cured by a subsequent, properly executed notification of the appeal grounds, as the procedural deadline for lodging a valid appeal had passed when the initial defective notice was served; consequently, the appellate proceedings initiated by the flawed initial act were deemed null and void, leading to the declaration that the act initiating the appeal was without effect.