Court Opinion

ID: 9608015
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:04:43.292141+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:42.602177
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Counsel for the defendant insist in their motion for rehearing that we have overlooked the decision in Brooks v. Matthews, 78 Ga. 739 (3 S. E. 627). The Brooks case has never been followed by this court. It was referred to in Augusta Southern R. Co. v. Smith & Kilby Co., 106 Ga. 864, 869 (33 S. E. 28), Walton Guano Co. v. Copelan, 112 Ga. 319, 322 (37 S. E. 411), and in Stoddard Manufacturing Co. v. Adams, 122 Ga. 802, 803 (50 S. E. 915), where the ruling in the Brooks case was limited to its particular facts. While only five Justices participated in the Stoddard case, this would in no wise avoid the limitation therein of the Brooks case, since under the Code five Justices might have overruled the Brooks case. Code, § 6-1611.
The ruling in Brooks v. Matthews, supra, is in conflict with older decisions of this court. In Bostwick v. Duncan, Johnston & Co., 60 Ga. 383, it was held: “That defendant signed a written agreement without reading it, and it did not contain the contract as 'in fact made, is no ground for the introduction of parol evidence to vary its terms, etc. It is not the duty of courts to relieve parties from the results of their gross negligence.” See also, in this connection, Williams v. Waters, 36 Ga. 454 (3); Lester v. Fowler, 43 Ga. 190; Scurry v. Cotton States Life Ins. Co., 51 Ga. 624; Howard v. Stephens, 52 Ga. 448, 449; Brown v. Cheatham, 66 Ga. 14, 17; Turner v. Rives, 75 Ga. 606, 609.
In this case the defendant contends that the plaintiff was guilty of “fraud” in not reading to him provisions of the contract which specifically made void any agreement for a “side payment.” The defendant will not be heard to complain of any alleged “fraud” based on a failure of the plaintiff to read the *829entire contract, when the alleged agreement for a “side payment” was void independently of the contract provisions declaring such agreements to be void.

Motion for rehearing denied.

All the Justices concur.