Court Opinion

ID: 9624603
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:11:14.996435+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:51.092379
License: Public Domain

Felton, Chief Judge,
dissenting in part.  I concur in the ruling of the trial court which overruled the motion by the plaintiff to dismiss the defendant’s motion for a summary judgment upon the ground that the defendant had not specified in the motion the ground relied on as a basis for a summary judgment, but not for the reason assigned by the majority. I am of the opinion that a motion for a summary judgment should specifically set out the ground or grounds upon which the motion is based, but in this case the defendant’s failure to do so was not harmful to the plaintiff because the plaintiff was fully informed that the only question involved in the motion for a summary judgment was whether or not the plaintiff had assigned her cause of action to the insurance company which had issued the plaintiff a policy of collision insurance.
A motion for a summary judgment is a new and harsh remedy. It is true that a party can be the victim of ambush, innocent or designed, in certain situations; but in a summary judgment proceeding the possibility of ambush is increased beyond anything present under our existing rules, such as rulings on general demurrers, rulings on the general grounds for a motion for a new trial, motion for a directed verdict, etc. In a summary judgment proceeding the party against whom the motion is made is subject to all of the pitfalls combined under all the other rules of practice, and it would be much simpler to require the movant in such a case to specify the ground or grounds in his motion for a summary judgment so that the defendant can meet the requirements of the law in demonstrating affirmatively to the court that there is a genuine issue to be tried by a jury. In this very case where there is one simple little question to which both parties gave their fullest attention, the trial court could have granted a summary judgment if in his opinion the *615plaintiff’s petition did not set out a cause of action, and the plaintiff would never have known of her predicament until too late to amend and perfect her petition. When possible, the right of amendment should be preserved.
Where this State picks up a rule of practice or procedure from Federal rules, Georgia courts should construe them and not be tied down by what Federal courts decide for the reason that only construction of the rules by the United States Supreme Court would be binding on us if we were required to follow the Federal law. Since the Supreme Court very seldom rules on such a matter we are left in a maze of decisions by Federal Circuit and District Courts which are accumulating by the hundreds and scattered over 50 states. It is interesting to note that the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has promulgated Rules 8 and 9 of the local rules of the said district as follows: “Rule 8. Motions: briefs in support thereof, (a) Counsel shall submit with all written motions a brief of authorities (and written argument, if desired) and where allegations of fact are relied upon, affidavits in support thereof, (b) Responding counsel desiring to submit a response, brief or affidavit shall submit the same within ten (10) days after service of movant’s motion and brief, (c) Movant and respondent shall serve copies of all motions, briefs, affidavits (and argument if submitted) upon opposing counsel and shall file proof of such service, (d) All motions shall be decided by the Court without a hearing unless otherwise ordered by the Court on its own motion, or in its discretion upon request of counsel. Rule 9. Motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, (a) Motions for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules and motions to dismiss under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules shall not, unless otherwise ordered, be entertained by the Court unless said motions are made at least fifteen (15) days before the final pretrial conference, (b) In support of all motions for summary judgment movant shall at least ten (10) days before the hearing thereof, file with the Court and serve opposing counsel with findings of fact upon which said motion is predicated, giving in connection with each finding the document upon which it is based.” We think that these rules should go further and re*616quire a movant to apprise the court and the opposite party of the propositions of law which movant contends entitle him to a summary judgment.
It is better for this court to declare this rule than for the various trial courts to have different and divergent rules. Furthermore, the difference between State and Federal rules in other particulars renders it unwise to follow Federal court interpretations of rules copied by the State.
I concur in the other parts of the opinion and in the judgment.
Presiding Judge Nichols and Judge Frankum concur in what is stated above.