Court Opinion

ID: 9621093
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:51:43.273395+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:04:02.373658
License: Public Domain

Deen, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
While I agree fully with the first division of the majority opinion, I must respectfully dissent from the holding in Division 2 because I do not believe that the issue of awarding expenses of litigation and attorney fees was properly raised or preserved for review.
Humana moved for directed verdict both at the close of Jenkins’ evidence and the close of the case, asserting as the sole ground of both motions that because the proper officials did not sign the written renewal lease as required by the condition precedent therein, no oral lease could have resulted. The trial court denied both motions and the case was submitted to the jury on interrogatories. Humana made no objection to these interrogatories or to any instructions given the jury, including charges on the issues of a valid oral contract, an agent’s apparent authority and expenses of litigation under OCGA § 13-6-11.
The jury’s answers to the interrogatories determined (1) that Lott did have the authority, either actual or apparent, to bind Humana to an oral lease with Jenkins; (2) that Lott and Jenkins en*830tered into an oral lease agreement on the essential terms to renew his occupied office space for a term of one year beginning April 1, 1987; (3) that Jenkins and Humana agreed to reduce their oral lease agreement to writing; (4) that Jenkins and Humana did not agree that they would not be bound by their oral lease agreement unless it was subsequently reduced to writing and signed by both parties; and (5) that Jenkins be awarded $15,000 for expenses of litigation. Humana filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or in the alternative for a new trial, again on the basis of Jenkins’ failure to prove that the condition precedent of the written lease renewal agreement had been satisfied, and also challenging the propriety of the award of attorney fees and expenses. This motion was denied and the trial court thereafter amended its judgment on the verdict to direct entry of a final judgment on these issues pursuant to OCGA § 9-11-54 (b), upon the express determination that there was no just reason for delaying the appeal.
Although Humana’s arguments on appeal attack all of the determinations made by the jury in reaching its verdict, no objections were made to the interrogatories upon which it was based prior to their submission to the jury or to the instructions given on these issues. Moreover, the record reveals that the pretrial order agreed to by both parties stated that imposition of attorney fees and costs of litigation would be one of the issues in the case. Parties to stipulations entered into during the course of judicial proceedings are estopped to complain when the results of such agreements or stipulations work adversely to their positions. Thompson v. Wise, 182 Ga. App. 335 (356 SE2d 40) (1987); see also McDonald v. Hester, 115 Ga. App. 740 (155 SE2d 720) (1967).
The trial transcript reveals that shortly before the close of appellee’s evidence appellant, out of the hearing of the jury, objected to the admission of evidence regarding attorney fees and litigation costs, but that the trial court replied that he had previously ruled adversely to that position, in accordance with Yost v. Torok, 256 Ga. 92 (344 SE2d 414) (1986) (see also OCGA § 9-15-14); and that such evidence should and would be admitted. Thereafter, counsel for plaintiff/appellee testified briefly as to the amount of time spent on the case by himself and his paralegal at their respective hourly rates. However, at the close of all the evidence appellant made absolutely no objection to the trial court’s distribution to the jurors of the interrogatories which would form the verdict, including Nos. 6 and 7, which dealt respectively with whether attorney fees and litigation costs should be awarded; and if so, in what amount. Nor was any objection raised to the trial court’s instructions as to what considerations the jurors should take into account in determining the answers to the interrogatories. Thus, not only did appellant ratify the inclusion of evidence *831regarding attorney fees and litigation costs by participating in the pretrial order, but it subsequently waived any intermediate objection that might have been raised when it failed to object to the interrogatories and the accompanying instructions. Furthermore, the language of OCGA § 5-5-22 is merely permissive, and the trial court therefore did not err in denying the motion on that ground.
Since appellant’s sole assertion in both of its motions for directed verdict which was validly raised in its motion for judgment n.o.v. or new trial was that the oral lease agreement could not be established due to noncompliance with the condition precedent in the written contract, that is the only question this court is called upon to examine. “ ‘A motion for a directed verdict shall state the specific grounds therefor.’ OCGA § 9-11-50 (a). ‘A ground not mentioned in a motion for directed verdict cannot thereafter be raised on appeal. [Cits.]”’ Grabowski v. Radiology Assoc., 181 Ga. App. 298, 299 (2) (352 SE2d 185) (1986). Accord Johnson v. Hensel Phelps Constr. Co., 250 Ga. 83 (295 SE2d 841) (1982); Allgood Rd. &c. Church v. Smith, 173 Ga. App. 28 (1) (325 SE2d 392) (1984). Likewise, “[t]he grounds asserted in the motion for judgment n.o.v. and on appeal will not be considered because they were not asserted in support of the motions for directed verdict as required by OCGA § 9-11-50 (b). [Cit.]” Glenridge Unit Owners Assn. v. Felton, 183 Ga. App. 858 (2) (360 SE2d 418) (1987); Revco Discount Drug Centers v. Famble, 173 Ga. App. 330 (3) (326 SE2d 532) (1985).
It is thus clear that by failing to assert the other grounds now argued, either by way of a directed verdict so as to preserve them as the basis for a motion for judgment n.o.v., or by timely objections for consideration in a motion for new trial, Humana may not now raise these issues on appeal. Dubberly v. P. F. Moon & Co., 184 Ga. App. 221 (3) (361 SE2d 223) (1987); Gorlin v. Halpern, 184 Ga. App. 10 (7) (360 SE2d 729) (1987); Long v. Marion, 182 Ga. App. 361 (1) (355 SE2d 711) (1987); F.A.F. Motor Cars v. Childers, 181 Ga. App. 821 (4) (354 SE2d 6) (1987). It follows that even if attorney fees are not recoverable in declaratory judgment actions, as Humana now asserts, “[n]o motion [for directed verdict] having been made on the issue of attorney fees awarded pursuant to OCGA § 13-16-11, this question will not be considered for the first time on appeal.” Joseph v. Bray, 182 Ga. App. 131 (1) (354 SE2d 878) (1987). Accord Tanner v. Gilleland, 186 Ga. App. 377 (367 SE2d 257) (1988).
I therefore respectfully dissent from Division 2.