Court Opinion

ID: 9623842
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 06:44:50.112163+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:51:09.641677
License: Public Domain

McMurray, Presiding Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in Divisions 1 and 2 but I respectfully dissent from Division 3. In my opinion, defendant is entitled to enumerate error upon the judgment awarding damages even though he did not file a notice of appeal with respect to that judgment.
When an appeal is taken to our appellate courts, the appellant can assign error upon any ruling, order or judgment entered in the court below. Southeast Ceramics v. Klem, 246 Ga. 294, 295 (271 SE2d 199). See also Allen v. Rome Kraft Co., 114 Ga. App. 717, 718 (152 SE2d 618). It follows that we have jurisdiction to consider defendant’s enumeration of error with regard to the damages issue.
Cases holding that error cannot be assigned upon a ruling entered subsequent to the filing of the notice of appeal (see, e.g., Cates v. Cates, 225 Ga. 612, 613 (2) (170 SE2d 416) and Lowe v. Watson, 228 Ga. 393 (1) (185 SE2d 774)) are no longer viable in light of Southeast Ceramics v. Klem, supra, with its emphasis upon judicial economy. Klem mandates consideration of previous contemporaneous and subsequent rulings in the case: “We frown upon the practice of appellate review by installment and seek to encourage appellate determination of issues in a case in the fewest possible appellate procedures. . . . We hold that when a direct appeal is taken, any other judgments, rulings or orders rendered in the case and which may affect the proceedings below may be raised on appeal and reviewed and determined by the appellate court.” Southeast Ceramics v. Klem, supra at 295.
It is my view that defendant’s enumeration of error with regard to the issue of damages should be addressed on the merits.