Court Opinion

ID: 9606771
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:52:29.443186+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:35.463988
License: Public Domain

Hill, Justice,
dissenting.
I would adopt the opinion of the Court of Appeals (135 Ga. App. 852) and affirm, for the following reasons: Mr. Samoluk purchased an automobile and purchased insurance thereon from Maryland Casualty Company. Mr. Samoluk and his automobile were injured and *173damaged as the result of a collision with an automobile owned and operated by Lindsey and insured by Allstate Insurance Company. Mr. Samoluk received from his insurance company the amount of his repair bill, less $100 deductible, in exchange for which he signed the agreement here in issue. Mr. Samoluk was entitled to receive that payment from his insurance company because he had paid his insurance premiums.
However, Mr. Samoluk had not been compensated by his insurance company for all the damages to his automobile, so he sued Lindsey for the loss of use of his automobile and the cost of a rental replacement, as well as his personal injuries, loss of wages and medical expenses.
The majority opinion holds that Mr. Samoluk cannot recover his unreimbursed property damage from Lindsey and his insurer, because Samoluk accepted money due him from his insurance company and signed an agreement which his insurance company required. No good reason occurs to me as to why Lindsey and his insurance company should benefit from the payment and agreement between Samoluk and his insurance company.
In my opinion the judgment and opinion of the Court of Appeals was correct.