Court Opinion

ID: 9621892
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 06:08:49.269746+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:11.213561
License: Public Domain

DOYLE, Judge,
concurring specially.
Because the error in the written ante litem notice was such that if the City had no knowledge of the claim other than what was written in the notice, it would not have been able to investigate the location of Simmons’s injury, I am constrained to join in the judgment of the majority that the written notice was insufficient3 and the unfortunate outcome is demanded. However, this is an overly harsh and unfair result when the spirit and purpose4 of the *457ante litem statute was accomplished by the City receiving actual notice of a claim, investigating the proper location, repairing the water meters in question, and evaluating and twice denying Simmons’s claim in writing.
Decided February 17, 2010
Reconsideration denied April 7, 2010
Gregory V Sapp, for appellant.
Weiner, Shearouse, Weitz, Greenberg & Shawe, Malcolm Mackenzie III, Anthony R. Casella, for appellee.
The City does not claim that it thought the typographical error in the street address contained in the written ante litem notice was actually a new and different claim from what it had previously investigated on behalf of Simmons. The City simply relies on the fact of the typographical error to support its motion to dismiss.
As a result, it is absurd that this claim would be dismissed because of a typographical error that in no way impacted the City’s ability to conduct its investigation (which had already occurred) or its ability to determine if the claim should be settled without litigation.

 See Vaillant v. City of Atlanta, 267 Ga. App. 294, 296 (599 SE2d 261) (2004).

 Atlanta Taxicab Co. Owners Assn. v. City of Atlanta, 281 Ga. 342, 351 (5) (638 SE2d 307) *457(2006) (The purpose of the notice requirement is “to provide the municipality with an opportunity to investigate before litigation is commenced so as to determine whether suit can be avoided.”).