FI RST DI VI SI ON
BA RNES, P. J.

, M ERCI ER and BROWN, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

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A ugust 18, 2021



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 9 A1 10 4 . TERRY v . OLD HAT CHIM NEY, LLC.

M E R C I E R , J u dg e.

M at h ew Terry su ed Ol d Hat Ch i m n ey , LLC, an d i t s em

p l o y ee, Ni ck ol as J am es

Pay n e, fo r d am ag es al l eg ed ly s u s t ai n ed wh en a co m p a n y v an d ri ven b y Pay n e

rear-en ded Terry ’ s v eh icl e. Terry as s ert ed a n eg l i gen ce c l a i m ag ai n s t Pay n e. He

fu rt her al l eg ed th at Ol d Hat was (1 ) v i cari o u s l y l iab l e fo r Pay n e’ s n eg l i g en ce b as ed

o n t h e d o ct ri n e of res p o n d eat s u p eri o r, an d (2 ) d i rect l y l i ab l e t o h i m fo r n eg l i g en t l y

h i ri n g, t rai n i n g, an d s up erv i s i n g P a yn e

. T erry d id no t rai s e a cl ai m fo r p u n i t i v e

d am ag es

.

Aft er co n ced i n g th at Pay ne was an Ol d Hat em p l o y ee wo rk i n g wi th i n t h e s co p e

o f h is em p l o y m en t at th e t i m e of t h e co l l i s i o n, Ol d Hat m o v ed fo r p art i al s u m m ary

j u d g m e n t

. Sp eci fi cal l y , i t so u gh t ju d g m en t as a m at t er of l aw on Terry ’ s d i rec tl i ab i l i t y cl ai m , arg u i n g th at an y reco v ery fo r n eg l i g e n t h i ri ng , t rai n i n g , an d

s u p erv i s i o n wo u l d b e d u pl i cat i ve b ecau s e th e co m p an y h ad “ ad m i t t ed t o th e es s en t i al

e l e m en t s o f t h e res p o n d eat s u p eri o r t h eo ry o f vi cari o u s l i ab i l i t y

. ” T h e t ri al co u rt

g ran t ed Ol d H at ’ s m o t i o n, an d Terry ap p eal ed

. W e affi rm ed t he t ri al co u rt ’ s ju d g m en t

o n Au g us t 20

, 2 0 1 9

, n o t i n g t h at p u rs u an t t o Ho sp

. Au t h

. o f Va l d os t a / Lo wn d es Co u n t y

v. Fen der , 3 4 2 Ga. Ap p

. 1 3 (8 0 2 SE2 d 3 4 6 ) (2 0 1 7),

i f a d efen d an t em

p l o y er co n ced es t h at i t w i ll b e v i cari o u s l y l iab l e u nd er

t h e d o ct ri n e o f res p o nd eat s u peri o r if i t s e m p l o y ee is fo u n d n eg li g en t

,
t h e em p l o y er is en t i t l ed t o s u m

m ary ju d g m en t o n t h e p l ai n ti ff’ s cl ai m s

fo r n eg l i g en t en t ru s t m en t

, h i ri n g , t rai n i n g, s u p erv i s io n , a n d ret en t i o n ,

u n l es s t h e p l ai n ti ff h as al s o b ro u g h t a v al i d cl ai m fo r p u n it i v e d am ag es

ag ai ns t t h e em

p l o y er fo r i t s o wn i n d ep en d en t n eg l i g en ce.

Ter r y v. Ol d Ha t Ch i mn ey , 3 51 Ga. Ap p . 6 7 3 , 6 7 4 (8 3 2 SE2 d 6 5 0 ) (2 0 19 ).

Th e Su p rem e Co u rt o f Geo rg i a su b seq u en tl y g ran t ed Terry ’ s ap p li cat i o n fo r

cert io ra ri

, v acat ed ou r d eci s i o n , an d rem an d ed t h e cas e t o u s fo r reco n s i derat i o n in

l i gh t o f Qu

yn n v. Hu l

s ey , 3 1 0 Ga. 4 7 3 (8 5 0 SE2 d 7 2 5 ) (2 0 2 0). See Ter r y v. Ol d Ha t

Ch i m n ey , 20 2 0 G a. LEXIS 9 7 8 (2 0 2 0 ). In Qu yn n , t h e S u p rem e Co u rt co n s i d ered

wh et h er t h e h i s t o ri cal ru le art i cu l at ed i n Fen d er (k no wn as t h e “ Res p o n d eat Su p eri o r

Ru l e”) h ad b een ab ro g at ed b y O CGA § 5 1 -1 2 -3 3

, Geo rg i a’ s ap p o rt i o n m en t s t at u t e.

2Th e Co urt ul t i m at el y d et erm i n ed t h at “ t h e Res p o n deat Su p eri o r Ru l e i s i n co n s i s t en t

wi t h th e p lai n l an g u ag e o f t h e ap p o rt i on m en t s t at u te,” i d

. a t 4 7 7

, an d i t o v erru l ed

Fen der an d s i m i l ar d eci s i on s t h at h o l d o t h erwi s e. See i d. at 4 8 2 n .1 0

.

In m o v in g fo r p art i al s u m m a r y j u d g m en t, Ol d Hat rel i ed ex cl u si vel y o n t h e

Res po n d eat Su p eri o r Ru l e, an d t h e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed Ol d Hat ’ s m o ti o n s o l el y o n t h at

b as i s

. As recen t l y fo u n d i n Q u yn n , h o wev er, t h e ru l e an d t h e cas es ap p l y i n g i t are n o

l o n g er go o d l aw. Ol d Hat h as o ffered n o ot h er g ro u n d s fo r affi rm i n g t h e t ri al co urt ’ s

s u m m ary ju d g m en t ru l i n g . Acco rd i n g l y , we rev ers e.

Ju d g men t r ever sed . Ba r n es , P. J., a n d

Br o wn , J., co n cu r

.

3