Court Opinion

ID: 9608159
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:07:07.93132+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:44.145425
License: Public Domain

Pope, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I agree with Presiding Judge McMurray that the judgments should be affirmed, but write separately to make clear my position on several issues.
First, I urge the legislature to amend OCGA § 9-11-42 (a) to give trial courts the discretion to consolidate trials without the parties’ consent. We are the only jurisdiction in the country to circumscribe the trial court’s discretion in this way. Where the facts, issues and parties in two cases are essentially the same, why should we allow an obstinate party to force the court to be inefficient?
Given our current version of OCGA § 9-11-42 (a), I must agree with Judge Andrews’ analysis in Division 1 and his conclusion that the trial court’s dual jury innovation was unacceptable without the parties’ consent. I do not like this result, however. We should be encouraging trial court efforts to be innovative and creative in dealing with complex and unwieldy cases, but instead we must rebuff such efforts based on the wording of OCGA § 9-11-42 (a). I therefore suggest this section be changed.
With respect to Judge Andrews’ Division 3 (a), I think the jurors should be instructed on the distribution of the punitive damage award. If they are not, they will assume it is all going to the plaintiff. And their award could be influenced by concerns about giving this plaintiff such a large windfall, even if a large award is necessary to punish and deter defendants.
Whether or not the jurors are informed about the distribution of the award, I believe — as Chief Judge Beasley suggests — that they should be instructed that they are not to be concerned with the disposition of the award. Moreover, the trial court should re-emphasize *279that any punitive damages award should be based solely on the amount necessary to punish and deter the defendants.
Decided July 14, 1995
Reconsideration denied July 31, 1995
Love & Willingham, Daryll Love, Allen S. Willingham, Robert P. Monyak, Alston & Bird, G. Conley Ingram, R. Wayne Thorpe, Cynthia Counts, for Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company.
Smolar, Roseman, Brantley & Seifter, Yehuda Smolar, Barry L. Roseman, James I. Seifter, Thomas A. Rice, William B. Herndon, for Fords.
Barnes, Browning, Tanksley & Casurella, Roy E. Barnes, Elliott & Blackburn, W. Gus Elliott, Walter G. Elliott II, Neely & Player, Richard B. North, Jr., Lorre J. Gaudiosi, Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hayes & Handler, Terrence B. Adamson, Brinson, Askew, Berry, Seigler, Richardson & Davis, Robert M. Brinson, amici curiae.
Lastly, with respect to Division 3 (b) of Judge Andrews’ opinion, it is important to note that the “majority” does not have a majority of votes for its position that the punitive damages award is unsupported. Accordingly, on retrial the jury can again consider the issue of punitive damages.