Court Opinion

ID: 9586276
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:09:01.074358+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:27:31.401648
License: Public Domain

Nichols, Presiding Justice,
concurring specially.
While I concur in the majority opinion in this case and all that is said therein, in addition this publication is ambiguous.
In Holmes v. Clisby, 118 Ga. 820, 823 (45 SE 684), it was held: "The plaintiff cannot by innuendo draw from a writing a conclusion not justified by the language used; but it is competent for the plaintiff to explain in this way an ambiguous publication, to point out the intention of the author, and to show wherein the effect of the language was to injure his reputation. Park v. Insurance Co., 51 Ga. 510. And the rule is that a publication must be construed in the light of all the attending circumstances, the cause and occasion of the publication, and all other extraneous matters which will tend to explain the allusion or point out the person in question. Colvard v. Black, 110 Ga. 647. Words harmless in themselves may become libelous when the circumstances under which they are published are such as to convey a covert meaning to the reader reflecting injuriously upon the reputation of the person to whom they refer.” The court then distinguished cases where a publication was held to be merely in disparagement of the plaintiff’s goods and not a libel to his reputation. A review of the transcript of the broadcast *182in the present case shows it to be ambiguous and subject to an interpretation that the plaintiff was guilty of overcharging, did shoddy work and refused to stand behind it, had given a warranty for only three months when a longer one should have been given, that he was retaining possession of the automobile until he was again paid this amount of money whether he did any additional work or not, and even refused to talk to the owner of the automobile.
The facts in this case presented a jury question and it was error for the trial court to direct a verdict for the defendant.