Court Opinion

ID: 9574218
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:03:26.194376+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:44:15.042605
License: Public Domain

Birdsong, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
Although I concur with the majority in Divisions 1 through 4, I must respectfully dissent from Division 5 because I cannot agree with the majority’s conclusion that Tolbert v. Duckworth, 262 Ga. 622 (423 SE2d 229) abolished the defense of legal accident. Further, I must also dissent because I cannot agree that the trial court did not err by allowing Jones’ counsel to argue that there is no such thing as a legal accident, by admonishing McGee’s counsel about what he should not be arguing about, and by asserting that McGee’s counsel’s argument was fiction because there is no such thing as a legal accident.
1. Tolbert v. Duckworth speaks for itself; our Supreme Court *7stated, “[w]e choose to follow the jurisdictions that have repudiated the use of the accident instruction in all civil cases as unnecessary, misleading and confusing. [Cits.] The defense of inevitable accident ‘is nothing more than a denial by the defendant of negligence, or a contention that his negligence, if any, was not the proximate cause of the injury.’ [Cits.] The standard instructions on negligence, proximate cause, and burden of proof are sufficient to instruct the jury that the plaintiff may not recover when an injury occurs without the defendant’s fault. Therefore, the instruction on accident should no longer be given in civil cases in Georgia after January 21, 1993, the date this opinion is published in the advance sheets of the Georgia Reports. [Cit.]” (Footnotes omitted.) Tolbert v. Duckworth, supra at 623-624.
Of course, in footnote 2 the Supreme Court stated: “The defense is a more appropriate subject for argument by counsel to the jury. [Cit.]”
This situation is analogous to the Supreme Court’s actions regarding the defense of flight: “[W]hile the state may offer evidence of and argue flight, it shall be reversible error for a trial court in a criminal case to charge the jury on flight.” Renner v. State, 260 Ga. 515, 518 (3) (b) (397 SE2d 683). Thus prosecutors are allowed to argue that a defendant’s flight from the crime scene is evidence of guilt even though Renner v. State, supra, prohibits a charge on the subject. See, e.g., White v. State, 226 Ga. App. 822 (488 SE2d 83) (physical precedent). Now, however, the majority would take away defendants’ right to argue that they are not liable because the plaintiff’s damages were the result of an accident in which no one was negligent. This is contrary to Tolbert v. Duckworth, and consequently, it is not our law.
2. Additionally, I believe that the trial court erred by its failure to curb Jones’ improper response to McGee’s argument. Although the control of the range of counsel’s argument is vested in the discretion of the trial court and appellate courts will not interfere with the exercise of that discretion unless it can be shown that the discretion has been manifestly abused and some positive injury has been done (Towns v. State, 191 Ga. App. 229, 230 (381 SE2d 405); Sanders v. State, 156 Ga. App. 44, 45 (274 SE2d 88)), the record in this case shows such a manifest abuse of discretion.
I believe McGee’s argument that Jones’ injury was the result of an accident was authorized by footnote 2 of Tolbert v. Duckworth, supra at 624. Therefore, Jones’ response that McGee’s argument was “fiction” and that there is no such thing as a legal accident was a misrepresentation and to the extent that it accused McGee’s counsel of seeking to mislead the jury about the law, it was improper. Garrison v. Rich’s, Inc., 154 Ga. App. 663, 664 (269 SE2d 513). Therefore, I *8believe the trial court erred by not sustaining McGee’s objections to Jones’ arguments. Moreover, I am concerned that Jones’ counsel was allowed to rebuke McGee’s counsel before the jury regarding comments about the Supreme Court’s decision on this issue. If McGee’s counsel violated a ruling of the trial court, Jones’ remedy is to seek relief from the court and not to admonish opposing counsel. Accordingly, I believe that the trial court failed in its responsibility to control the argument of counsel and abused its discretion in this manner. OCGA § 9-10-185. See Bell v. State, 263 Ga. 776 (439 SE2d 480); Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Swindle, 260 Ga. 685, 686 (398 SE2d 365).
Decided March 20, 1998
Reconsideration denied April 2, 1998.
Beck, Owen & Murray, William M. Dallas III, for appellant.
Christopher C. Edwards, Michele K. Ogletree, for appellee.
Moreover, even if McGee’s argument was mistaken in some respect, it was not fiction and it was not an attempt to mislead the jury as Jones suggested. Thus, I believe the trial court had the responsibility to clarify the matter for the jury and not leave them with the impression that Jones’ comments regarding the defense of accident were correct.
Thus, having found error, I would test for prejudice and in my opinion it exists in this case. Jones’ medical expenses were $2,547 and she faced future medical expenses of $8,000. Although Jones initially requested that the jury award her $75,000 in damages and in closing argument again mentioned $75,000, and she finally requested $100,000, the jury returned a verdict of $135,000. As the amount awarded by the jury was more than one-third more than any sum Jones sought in argument and approaches twice as much as the amount she sought initially, I cannot say that McGee was not prejudiced by allowing the improper argument. Therefore, I would reverse the judgment and remand for a fair trial.
Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.
I am authorized to state that Chief Judge Andrews and Judge Ruffin join in this dissent.