Court Opinion

ID: 9588645
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:36:35.835902+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:43:39.494597
License: Public Domain

Sognier, Judge,
dissenting.
I must respectfully dissent, as I cannot agree with the majority’s conclusion that the verdict rendered by the jury was not inconsistent. It is well established that “ ‘in cases where the right to recover is dependent solely upon the doctrine of respondeat superior, and there is a finding that the servant, through whose negligence the master is attempted to be held liable, has not been negligent, as was true in the case in hand, there should be no judgment against the master.’ ” Southern R. Co. v. Harbin, 135 Ga. 122, 124-125 (68 SE 1103) (1910). “Unless additional and independent acts of negligence over and above those alleged against the servant or employee are alleged against the employer, a verdict exonerating the employee also exonerates the employer. [Cits.]” Townsend v. Brantley, 163 Ga. App. 899, 900 (1) (296 SE2d 186) (1982). The testimony in the instant case was in sharp conflict as to the events which actually occurred on the night appellee was injured, and thus the jury would have been authorized to find either in Goodman’s favor or against him, on the claims of appellee. Contrary to appellee’s argument and the conclusion of the majority, it is sheer sophistry to say that the jury did not find in favor of Goodman. It is evident that the jury followed neither alternative presented by the verdict form, as it found neither expressly for Goodman nor expressly against him by awarding damages against him. However, we are forced to construe the verdict as being either in favor of, or against, Goodman, simply because no other alternative exists. Thus, in my view, as the jury found no damages against Goodman, the verdict is most logically construed as a verdict in his favor.
Moreover, each of the bases on which the jury could have found, and did find, against appellant is dependent upon Goodman’s actions, because Goodman is the one alleged to have struck appellee, called the police, and acted as complaining witness against appellee in the prosecution. Thus, if Goodman is not liable for these actions, then it follows that the basis for appellant’s liability is missing. The majority concludes there were other bases on which the jury could have found appellant liable independently of Goodman, citing the special liability of a tavern owner to take reasonable care for the safety of its patrons, as well as the theories of negligent hiring and negligent supervision. However, each of these theories of “independent” liability is, in actuality, dependent on the negligent conduct of someone other than the tavern owner — who was not even present when appellee was injured. *194The owner’s liability is thus premised on his duty to have foreseen, prevented or stopped the primarily negligent conduct. In the case sub judice, the. primarily negligent conduct was alleged to have been that of Goodman, and appellant cannot be said to be negligent absent a finding of some negligent conduct on Goodman’s part. It is therefore apparent that “ ‘[i]n this case the liability of the (appellant) derives from the acts of [Goodman or not at all]. The jury found in favor of [Goodman], the (individual) through whom (appellant) acted. The verdict holding the (appellant) liable is inconsistent. . . .’ [Cits.]” Duke Trucking Co. v. Giles, 185 Ga. App. 833, 836 (2) (366 SE2d 216) (1988).
I do not agree with appellee that appellant is precluded from raising this enumeration in this court because it was not raised in appellant’s motion for new trial. “On appeal, a party shall not be limited to the grounds urged in the motion or any amendment thereof.” OCGA § 5-5-40 (g). Nor do I agree with appellee that appellant waived its right to enumerate as error the inconsistent verdict because no objection was made to the form of the verdict. Although it is true that appellant did not raise an objection below to the form of the verdict, no objection was raised because at all times below all parties apparently believed and agreed that appellee had alleged independent grounds for appellant’s liability. If there were independent grounds for liability, it would have been possible and proper for the jury to find appellant liable even while exonerating Goodman. Thus, because of the parties’ assumption that there were independent grounds for liability, unlike the situation in Brannan Auto Parts v. Raymark Indus., 183 Ga. App. 82 (1) (357 SE2d 807) (1987), relied on by appellee, “[t]he potential for an inconsistent verdict . . . was [not] evident on the face of the form of the jury verdict,” at the time it was viewed by counsel. Id. at 83.
In my view, verdicts such as those in Brannan, supra, and in the case at bar, being inconsistent, are contradictory and repugnant and consequently are utterly void, and no valid judgment can be entered on them. Thompson v. Ingram, 226 Ga. 668, 671 (2) (177 SE2d 61) (1970); Fleming v. Collins, 190 Ga. 210, 214 (9 SE2d 157) (1940). See also Eco-Rez, Inc. v. Citizens Bank of Swainsboro, 141 Ga. App. 90, 91 (3) (232 SE2d 587) (1977). In Brannan, supra, this court cited Frostgate Warehouse v. Cole, 244 Ga. 782, 783 (262 SE2d 98) (1979) as authority for the holding that appellant had waived its right to challenge the inconsistency of the verdict where the potential for inconsistency was evident on the face of the verdict form. Brannan, supra at 83-84. In Frostgate the Supreme Court reversed this court’s determination that in a declaratory judgment action, an oral instruction to the jury as to the questions they must resolve did not satisfy the declaratory judgment statute’s requirement that interrogatories *195be submitted to the jury, on the basis that no timely written request for special verdict was made, and “in the absence of a specific and timely objection, a party waives error relating to the manner in which questions are submitted to the jury. [Cits.]” Id. at 783. Frostgate is simply an example of the application of those pervasive principles that error raised for the first time on appeal will not be considered, see, e.g., Hinkley v. Bldg. Material Merchants &c., 187 Ga. App. 345, 346 (370 SE2d 201) (1988); Carpenter v. Parsons, 186 Ga. App. 3, 5 (3) (366 SE2d 367) (1988), and that one cannot complain of error that one’s own conduct or procedure aided in causing. See, e.g., Swicegood v. Heardmont Nursing Home, 183 Ga. App. 319, 320 (359 SE2d 3) (1987). However, in Frostgate, supra, the error complained of, which the Supreme Court held had been waived, was not one which resulted in an illegal verdict or a consequently void judgment, as was the case in Brannan and here. Judgment entered on an illegal verdict is void, Thompson, supra, and thus may be corrected by this court. Although Brannan, supra, may be distinguished on its facts, our holding there affirmed a verdict which by its terms is repugnant and void. That holding should therefore be expressly overruled.
Viewing the repugnancy of the verdict rendered in the case sub judice another way, my review of the conflicting evidence adduced at trial regarding the events on the evening on which appellee was injured leads me to the conclusion that although the jury could properly have found from the conflicting evidence in favor of appellee against Goodman, it could also properly have found, as it did, in Goodman’s favor. Thus the verdict in favor of Goodman is not legally objectionable and should be upheld. OCGA § 9-12-4. However, given that the verdict in favor of Goodman is proper, the evidence is legally insufficient to support a verdict against appellant. That being so, the judgment against appellant should not be allowed to stand.
OCGA § 9-12-8 provides that “[i]f a part of a verdict is legal and a part illegal, the court will construe the verdict and order it amended by entering a remittitur as to that part which is illegal and giving judgment for the balance.” “[I] conclude that since the verdict exonerating [Goodman as] the servant was a legal verdict and that part of the verdict awarding damages against [appellant as] the master was illegal and void under the doctrine of respondeat superior, it is unnecessary to require that a new trial be granted on the issue of liability of either defendant.” Roswell Road-Perimeter &c. Store v. Schurke, 138 Ga. App. 502, 504 (227 SE2d 282) (1976). Therefore, I would reverse the judgment against appellant and remand this case to the trial court with direction that judgment be entered in favor of appellant.
I am authorized to state that Judge Birdsong joins in this dissent.
*196Decided March 17, 1989
Rehearing denied March 31, 1989
Philip M. Casto, for appellant.
Nickerson & Tuszynski, David E. Tuszynski, Brookins & Cook, Ernest D. Brookins, for appellee.