Court Opinion

ID: 9853374
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:47:26.580919+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:46.430806
License: Public Domain

On Motion For Rehearing
Movant contends this court’s decision that it was error for the trial judge 'to refuse to direct a verdict is contrary to some 145 decisions of our appellate courts. Formerly, it was the rule in civil cases and is now again the rule in criminal cases (see Pritchard v. State, 224 Ga. 776, 779 (164 SE2d 808)) that it is never error to refuse to direct a verdict. However, movant overlooks the fact that Section 2 of the Appellate Practice Act (Code Ann. § 6-702 (b)) provides: “Motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict need not be filed as a condition precedent to review upon appeal of an order or ruling of the trial court overruling a motion for directed verdict, but in all cases where such motion is an available remedy, the party may file the motion, or appeal directly from the final judgment and enumerate as error the overruling of the motion for directed verdict.” Ga. L. 1965, pp. 18, 20; 1966, pp. 493, 494. (Emphasis supplied.)
Moreover, the plaintiff made a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and enumerates as error the trial judge’s overruling of such motion. Hence, this court properly considered the overruling of the motion for directed verdict.

Rehearing denied.

Pannell and Evans, JJ., concur.