Court Opinion

ID: 9620794
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:47:49.972412+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:57.655340
License: Public Domain

Hill, Justice,
dissenting.
In Division 2, the majority of the court dismiss the appeal in Case No. 31534 without deciding its merits, and I respectfully dissent. The three cases cited by the majority were decided prior to the enactment of Ga. L. 1975, pp. 757, 759, amending Code Ann. § 81A-156 (h), and hence are not controlling as was ably pointed out in the second division of the Court of Appeals decision in Ga. Motor Club v. First Nat. Bank &c. Co., 137 Ga. App. 521 (224 SE2d 498) (1976), which the majority expressly disapproves. In my view, the Court of Appeals correctly interpreted the 1975 amendment in Ga. Motor Club, supra.
The majority rely on the following from the 1975 amendment: "An order denying summary judgment shall be subject to review by direct appeal in accordance with the provisions of section 6-701 (a) 2.” As Ga. Motor Club shows, this provision is no longer exclusive. Section 6-701 (a) 2 relates to interlocutory appeals. Thus the quoted provision of the 1975 amendment says that an order denying summary judgment shall be subject to review by direct appeal in accordance with the interlocutory appeal procedure.
The 1975 amendment does not deal with cross appeals. Code Ann. § 6-803 (a) clearly provides that: "In civil cases, the appellee may institute cross-appeal by filing notice thereof within 15 days from service of the notice of appeal by appellant, and the appellee may present for adjudication on the cross-appeal all errors or rulings adversely affecting him, and in no case shall the appellee be required to institute an independent appeal *844on his own right. . .”
In the case before us, the appellee has properly instituted a cross appeal and has presented for adjudication a ruling adversely affecting him. I would consider the appellee’s enumeration of error on its merits.
I am authorized to state that Justice Ingram joins in this dissent.