Court Opinion

ID: 9606491
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:50:19.395456+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:57:13.250092
License: Public Domain

Beasley, Judge,
dissenting.
I agree with the dissent of my brother Presiding Judge McMurray. We followed the Jankowski v. Taylor, Bishop & Lee, 246 Ga. 804, 806 (273 SE2d 16) (1980) holding that nominal damages were sufficient to create a cause of legal malpractice in Kirby v. Chester, 174 Ga. App. 881, 882 (1) (331 SE2d 915) (1985).
Moreover, the complaint here alleges negligence arising out of a breach of contract as well as fraud and intentional deception. It prays for “actual” damages of $5,000 and $6,000 but not in the sense that it limits recovery to special damages. Plaintiffs specifically allege injuries and damages which would be difficult to calculate the exact dollar equivalent of, such as loss of use of their money and property and loss of earlier and higher settlement, among other things. Therefore, even if only breach of contract were pursued, nominal damages could be awarded. OCGA § 13-6-6. As to the tort of negligence, where the injury is small, but legally cognizable, nominal damages are awardable. OCGA § 51-12-4. See generally Cobb & Eldridge, Ga. Law of Damages (2nd ed.), §§ 3-1 to 3-3; Bradley v. Godwin, 152 Ga. App. 782 (264 SE2d 262) (1979); Miller & Meier & Assoc. v. Diedrich, 174 Ga. App. 249, 252 (3) (329 SE2d 918) (1985); Crites v. Delta Air Lines, 177 Ga. App. 723, 726 (3) (341 SE2d 264) (1986).
There is some evidence by way of the affidavit of the insurer’s agent that settlement for $17,000 and perhaps as high as $19,000 reserve limits could have been effected in June 1983. The settlement of $20,000 finally effected by new counsel in March 1986 thus constituted a delay of almost three years. Plaintiffs claim that the resulting loss of use of the funds during this period when they needed them to make the fire-damage repairs to their apartments constituted an economic loss because other monies had to be obtained and because even if they did not need these funds for the repairs, they lost the benefit of current use of the settlement funds during this period, which would have at least yielded interest. There is also evidence that the delay reduced the settlement or expected verdict value of their claims by the time of the March 1986 settlement just short of the statute of *356limitations expiration, and that additional attorney fees were incurred. That may very well be, and plaintiffs should have an opportunity to prove such injuries and damages at trial, defendant not having negated the claim by dispositive evidence. We recognized “loss of use of money” as a cognizable damage in Leon Jones Feed &c. v. Ga. Business Svcs., 175 Ga. App. 569, 570 (333 SE2d 861) (1985).
Decided December 3, 1987
Rehearing denied December 17, 1987
Carol A. Levine, for appellants.
James Booker, Johnnie Story, for appellee.
I am authorized to state that Judge Pope joins in this dissent.