Court Opinion

ID: 9613190
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:15:12.816076+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:26.632639
License: Public Domain

Bell, Justice,
dissenting.
The majority of this court holds that the present action is barred by res judicata. I respectfully dissent, because in my opinion the holding misconstrues OCGA § 9-11-13 (g).
OCGA § 9-11-13 (g) cross-claims are permissive only, and it is therefore axiomatic that a “party who decides not to bring his claim under Rule 13 (g) will not be barred by res judicata, waiver, or estoppel from asserting it in a later action, as he would if the claim were a compulsory counterclaim under Rule 13 (a),” Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 1431 at 164 (1971).