Court Opinion

ID: 9602195
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:52:26.326492+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:01.402927
License: Public Domain

Pannell, Judge,
dissenting.
1.. I dissent from the majority opinion which decides, as the controlling principle in the case, that a representation by a seller that land he proposed to sell is zoned residential is an expression of legal opinion, rather than a statement of fact. I grant that zoning by a city or county, or any other governmental body, is a legislative function, and that the determination of whether a particular ordinance does or does not zone, may be a matter involving the construction of a law; but the mere statement that certain land is zoned for a certain use is a statement or representation of fact, not a statement of legal opinion. The Georgia cases cited in Division 3 of the majority opinion are clear examples of the expression of a legal opinion. If the seller here had stated that a certain ordinance had the legal effect of zoning the property for residential purposes, that might *188be interpreted as the expression of a legal opinion, but the representation that the property here was zoned, was not as to the legal effect of a certain law or regulation, but as to a fact — this land is zoned residential.
The case of Levin v. Kissena Manor Corp., 17 Misc. 2d 746 (184 NYS2d 863), affirmed in 10 App. Div. 2d 649 (199 NYS2d 408), cited by the majority, is not authority for any rulings made by the majority opinion as this did not involve false representation or a false legal opinion made to induce the execution of the contract of sale, but involved a failure to disclose a change in zoning regulations occurring after the contract was entered into.
This case is controlled by the ruling in Flannagan v. Clark, 207 Ga. 345 (61 SE2d 485), where J. R. Flannagan induced Mrs. Amy P. Clark to purchase certain property after Flannagan had stated and represented to her that the property was zoned for and being used for the purpose of training and boarding horses. After the purchase, Mrs. Clark discovered that the property was not zoned for boarding and training horses and had never been so used, and could not be used for that purpose, which fact was well known to the defendant when he acquired the property. The Supreme Court of this state affirmed a jury verdict in favor of Mrs. Clark.
2. In Fenley v. Moody, 104 Ga. 790 (30 SE 1002), it was held: "False representations relating to easements or appurtenances to land affecting its value, which were made by the owner of such land to another with intention to deceive, and which actually did deceive him to his injury, and induce him to purchase the property for more than its value, will give a right of action of deceit to the vendee against the vendor, when the falsity of such representations could not have been ascertained by an examination of the premises purchased.” This case was followed in Walton v. Stokes, 23 Ga. App. 428 (98 SE 367). In Fenley v. Moody, supra, the representations were that the property owners on both sides of a certain street or road upon which the land fronted, had by mutual agreement donated a designated number of feet of their respective frontages, and were all to set their fences back that distance, in order to widen the street; that the county *189commissioners had accepted the donations, had agreed to work the street, thus widen and make it a better street, and had passed an order to have it lengthened for a designated distance; that the same had been surveyed through, and the property owners along the line of what was to be the continuation of the street had donated sufficient of their property to extend the street; that the county commissioners had also passed an order for the repairing and working of the street, in order to make it passable so that it could be traversed in convenience and safety, etc. As against the contentions that the purchaser could have examined the records of the county commissioners, etc., and ascertained the truthfulness or the falsity of the representations, it was said: "It is urged that, by a simple examination of the records of the county commissioners, the plaintiffs could readily have ascertained whether or not orders for widening and improving the street adjoining the property had been passed. One of the statements made by the defendant upon which the plaintiffs relied when they made their contract of purchase was, that the property owners on both sides of the street upon which the land fronted had by mutual agreement donated a designated number of feet of their respective frontages, and had agreed to set their fences back so as to widen, and thus improve the street, and enhance the value of the property bordering thereon. It is often the case that such dedications or donations for the public use are made by owners of property, and there never appears any record of the dedication. We do not think, even if such things were necessarily matters of record, that the plaintiffs were guilty of such laches for failing to examine the records as would defeat their right of action. With the same force it might be urged that false representations made by the vendor that the property he was selling was free from all encumbrances would amount to nothing if the vendee, by an examination of court records, could have ascertained their falsity. See Southwestern Railroad v. Papot, 67 Ga. 675; Peel v. Bryson, 72 Ga. 331; Reid v. Flippen, 47 Ga. 273. A party can not close his eyes to a defect in a thing purchased, so patent that by mere inspection he could have ascertained its existence; but we are not aware of any rule *190of law, or decision of any ocurt, that goes to the extent of saying that one who has been imposed upon by a deceitful and false statement can have no relief unless, before acting upon such a statement, he had exhausted all means at his command to ascertain its truth. This would be, in effect, holding that scarcely under any circumstances will relief be granted to one who has been the victim of misplaced confidence in his fellow-man.” See also Braselton Bros. Inc. v. Better Maid Dairy Products, Inc., 222 Ga. 472, 474 (150 SE2d 620) overruling a decision by the Court of Appeals in the same case (Braselton Bros., Inc. v. Better Maid Dairy Products, Inc., 113 Ga. App. 382, 386 (148 SE2d 71)), the Supreme Court saying, "We can not agree with this conclusion reached by the Court of Appeals. 'While a party must exercise reasonable diligence to protect himself against the fraud of another, he is not bound to exhaust all means at his command to ascertain the truth before relying upon the representations. Ordinarily the question whether the complaining party could ascertain the falsity of the representations by proper diligence is for determination by the jury. Elliott v. Marshall, 179 Ga. 639 (176 SE 770).’ Dorsey v. Green, 202 Ga. 655, 659 (44 SE2d 377); City of Dalton v. U. S. Fidelity &c. Co., 216 Ga. 602 (118 SE2d 475).”
3. The agent of the plaintiff here not only verbally misrepresented a fact but used a device to perpetrate the fraud and deter inquiry. He exhibited to the defendants a map from the tax commissioner’s office showing the property was zoned residential and this map was exhibited and constantly referred to during the negotiation for the sale and purchase of the property involved here. In Jarrett v. McKinnon, 26 Ga. App. 694 (106 SE 809) where a vendor exhibited to a purchaser a deed which indicated that the land being sold contained 319 acres when in fact it contained only 157 acres, the court found this was a sufficient device to perpetrate the fraud and to prevent inquiry.
4. The affidavit of the plaintiff, the only evidence offered by plaintiff, contained nothing therein that sought to pierce the pleading of the defendant as to the fraud perpetrated. The plaintiff, therefore, failed to carry *191the burden required on motion for summary judgment and its grant to her was therefore erroneous.
I would reverse the trial judge.
I am authorized to state that Chief Judge Bell and Judges Deen and Evans concur in this dissent.