In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: Ma y 1 1 , 2 0 15

S 1 4 G1 7 7 5. OLIVER e t a l. v . MCDADE e t a l.

MELTON, Ju stic e

.

In Oliv e r v

. Mc Da de

, 3 2 8 Ga

. A p p. 3 68 (7 6 2 S E2 d 9 6 ) (2 0 1 4 ), th e Co urt

o f Ap p e a ls a ffirm e d th e tria l c o u rt’s d e n i a l o f a m o tio n fo r p a rtia l su m m a ry

ju d g m e n t b ro ug ht b y Crid e r Tra n sp o rta tio n a nd Je ro m e Oliv e r, fin d in g th a t a

q u e stio n o f fa c t re m a in e d wh e th e r Jo h n M cD a d e c o u ld p u rsu e a c la im fo r

e m o tio n a l d istre ss p u rsu a n t to th e p e c u n ia ry lo ss ru le

. 1 W e t h e re a fte r g ra n te d

Oliv e r’s p e titio n fo r c e rtio ra ri to c o n sid e r th e p ro p rie ty o f t h i s ru lin g

. F o r th e

re a so ns se t fo rth b e lo w, we a ffirm

.

As se t fo rth b y th e Co u rt o f A p p e a ls, th e fa c ts of th is su m m a ry ju d g m e n t

c a se v ie we d in fa v o r o f th e n o n m ov an t, Mc Da d e , sh o w th a t

Mc Da d e wa s rid in g a s a p a sse n g e r in h is o wn tru c k

, wh ic h wa s b e in g d riv e n by h is c lo se frie n d Ma tth e w W o o d on I– 1 6 in Du b lin

,

1 “ [F ] or a p e c u n ia ry lo ss to su p p o rt a c l a i m f o r da m a g e s fo r e m o tio n a l
d istre ss, th e p e c u n ia ry lo ss m u st o c c u r a s a r e su lt of a to rt in v o lv in g a n in ju ry
to th e p e rso n e ve n th o u g h th is in ju ry m a y n o t b e p h y sic a l.” OB-GYN Asso c

.
o f Alb a ny v . Little to n , 2 5 9 Ga . 6 6 3 , 6 6 7 (B) (3 86 S E2 d 1 4 6) (1 9 8 9 ).Ge o rg ia

. Mc Da d e , Wo o d

, a n d o th e r s w e r e re tu rn in g h o m e la te a t

n ig h t fro m a d irt c a r ra c e in wh ic h W o o d h a d c o m p e te d

, a n d Wo o d

wa s to win g h is ra c e c a r o n a tra ile r b e h in d Mc Da de ' s tru ck

. Ju st

a fte r d riv in g th e tru c k d o wn th e o n -ra m p o n to th e in te rsta te

, Wo o d

n o tic e d th a t so m e th in g o n th e tra ile r wa s no t se c u re d

, a n d h e p u lle d

o v e r to th e sh o u ld e r. Wo o d th e n e xite d th e tru c k a n d wa lk e d b a c k

to wa rd th e tra ile r. A tra c to r-tra ile r o wn e d by Crid e r Tra n sp o rta tio n

a n d o p e ra te d b y Je ro m e Oliv e r swe rv e d o n to th e sh ou l d e r an d

stru c k Wo o d ' s tra ile r a n d Mc Da d e ' s tru c k

. Wo o d wa s c ru sh e d
b e twe e n th e tra ile r a nd th e tru c k a n d k i l l e d in sta ntly

. T h e im p a c t th re w Mc Da d e a g a in st th e in te rio r o f h is tru c k, sh a tte re d th e g la ss in th e re a r o f th e t r u c k ' s c a b

, a n d pro p e lle d b lo o d a n d tissu e fro m Wo o d ' s b o d y o n to M cD a d e

. Mc Da d e th e n g o t o u t o f h is tru c k

, d i s c o v e re d Wo o d ' s m a n g le d b od y ly in g p a rtia lly in th e ro a d, a n d

p ro te c te d it fro m fu rt h e r d a m a g e by p a ssin g v e h ic le s u n til

e m e rg e n c y p e rso n n e l a rriv e d

. Du e to th e c ollisio n , Mc Da d e h a s

su ffe re d n e c k

, b a c k a n d k n e e in ju rie s, a s we ll a s h e a d a c h e s, in so mn ia

, fla sh ba c k s, a n x ie ty

, de p re ssio n a n d su ic id a l th o u g h ts. H e

so u g h t p sy c h ia tric h e lp

, wa s d ia g n o se d a s su ffe r i n g fro m m a jo r d e p re ssio n a s a re su lt of th e c o llisio n , an d wa s p re sc ri b e d v a rio u s

m e d ic a tio n s. Ba se d on th e c o llisio n, Mc Da d e b ro ug ht a n e g lig e n c e

c la im a g a in st Oliv e r, C rid e r, a n d C rid e r' s lia b ility in su ra n c e c a rrie r. Th e d e fe n d a n ts so u g h t p a rtia l su m m a ry ju d g m e n t o n a n y o f

Mc Da d e ' s c la im s b a se d o n e m o tio n a l d istre ss a risin g fro m h a v in g witn e sse d th e in

ju rie s to Wo o d

. Th e tria l c o u rt in itia lly g ra n te d th e d e fe n da n ts' m ot i o n , ru lin g th a t Ge o rg ia ' s im p a c t ru le ba rs b y sta n d e rs fro m re c o v e rin g d a m a g e s fo r e m o tio n a l d istre ss

re su ltin g fro m witn e ssin g a n o th e r p e rso n 's i n j u r i e s , b u t la te r th e tria l

c o u r t g ra n te d a m o tio n fo r re c o n sid e ra tio n, fin d in g th a t Mc Da d e

c o u ld p u rsu e a c la im fo r e m otio na l d istre ss u n d e r th e p e c un ia ry lo ss

ru le

. [Th e Co urt of Ap p e a ls] g ra n te d th e d e fe n d an ts' a p plic a tio n fo r in te rlo c uto ry re vie w, a

n d [a ffi r me d th e de n ia l of th e m o tio n fo r
p a rtia l su m m a ry ju d g m e n t]

.

Id . a t 3 6 8-3 6 9 (7 6 2 S E2 d 9 6 ) (2 0 1 4 ).

2As re c o g n iz e d b y th e Co u rt o f Ap p e a ls, Mc Da d e ' s c o m p la in t a lle g e s th a t

“ a ll o f h i s i n

j u rie s, d a m a ge s a n d su ffe rin g we re th e d ire c t re su lt o f a n d

p ro x im a te ly c a

u se d by th e n e g lig e nc e o f [Oliv e r] .” Mc Da d e do e s n o t a tte m p t to

se p a ra te ly re c o v e r fo r th e e m o tio na l d istre ss o f witn e ssin g h is frie n d ' s su ffe rin g

a n d d e a t h

, a n d

, in fa c t, h e d o e s n o t d isp u te th a t h e c a n n o t re c o v e r so le ly f o r

th e se in ju rie s, a t le a st u n d e r th e im p a c t ru le

. 2 In a d d itio n , Mc D a d e d e p o se d th a t

h e a ttrib u te d h is e m o tio n a l in ju rie s b oth to witn e ssin g h is frie n d ’s de a th a n d h is

o wn ph y sic a l in

j u r i e s r el a te d to h is n e c k

, b a c k

, a n d k n e e

. He te stifie d th a t, a t

le a st in p a rt, h is e m o tio n a l d istre ss sp ra n g fro m “ be in g h u rt, n o t b e in g a t wo rk

.

I sto pp e d g e ttin g p a id in F e b ru a ry

. I h a ve n ' t h a d in c om e sin c e

. . . .” As a re su lt,

it is c u rre ntly no t p o s s i b le to d e te rm in e , a s a q u e stio n of fa c t, wh e th e r a n y

p o rtio n o f Mc Da d e ’ s e m otio n a l d istre ss a rise s so le ly fro m witn e ssin g th e

in ju rie s to h is frie n d

. Fo r th is re a so n, th e Co u rt o f Ap p e a ls, in Div isio n 1 o f its

o p in io n , p ro p e rly fo u n d th a t a q u e stio n o f fa c t re m a in e d re g ard in g th e a llo c a tio n

o f Mc Da d e ’s d a m a g e s a n d a ffirm e d th e tria l c o u rt’s d e n ia l o f Oliv e r’s m o tio n

2 Th e im p a c t ru le m a

y be su m m a riz e d a s fo llo ws: “ In a c la im c o n c e rn in g

n e g lig e n t c o n du c t, a re c ov e ry fo r e m o tio n a l d istre ss is a llo we d on ly wh e re th e re is so m e im

p a c t o n th e p la in tiff, a n d th a t im p a c t m u st b e a ph y sic a l in

ju ry .” Ry c k e le y v . Ca lla w a y , 2 6 1 Ga . 8 2 8 (4 1 2 S E2 d 8 2 6 ) (1 9 9 2 ).

3fo r su m

m a ry ju d g m e n t. Ac c o rd in g ly

, we , in t u r n , a ffirm th e Co u rt of Ap p e a ls

fin d in g in Div isio n 1

.

In Div isio n 2 o f its o p in io n , h o we v e r, th e Co urt o f Ap p e a ls we n t fu rth e r

to a ssu m e fa c ts n o t fu lly d e v e lo p e d a n d o p in e a s to h o w th e la w wo u ld a p p ly to

a ssu m e d fa c ts. Th e se issu e s we re n o t rip e fo r c o n sid e ra tio n. Th e re fo re , wh ile we

a ffirm th e Co urt o f Ap p e a ls h o ld in g , we m u st v a c a te Div isio n 2 o f th e o p in io n

.

Ju d g m e n t a ffirm e d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

4