Court Opinion

ID: 9581318
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:13:40.289392+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:51.093602
License: Public Domain

Gregory, Justice,
concurring specially.
I concur in the judgment of the court but not in all that is written in the majority opinion.
The right to recover for the wrongful death of a spouse is placed in the surviving spouse by OCGA § 51-4-2 (a). I believe this gives to the surviving spouse the right to decide whether a claim for wrongful death will be pursued. In a case where such a claim might clearly exist the surviving spouse may none-the-less decline to pursue it in order to avoid the emotional strain such a pursuit would generate in the wake of the death. Or, there might be other reasons. If this choice is made there is no remedy under the statute for the children of the decedent. Thus, I cannot agree that “[the statute] does not vest in the spouse all of the rights to the claim.” I believe it does just exactly that. What the children have is a right to a share in the recovery, if there is a recovery. The claim belongs to the surviving spouse; the recovery belongs to the surviving spouse and the children. I find it unnecessary to disapprove the holding of Bloodworth v. Jones, 191 Ga. 193 (11 SE2d 658) (1940) because I think it correctly interprets the statute.