Court Opinion

ID: 9616703
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:49:02.194465+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:00.444587
License: Public Domain

*547Hill, Justice,
dissenting.
Code §§ 105-2002 and 105-2003 have long been the source of confusion. 8 EGL 65, Damages, § 42, n. 203. The majority has clarified the situation. However, I am unable to agree with the result.
As I understand the majority opinion, where a plaintiff seeks recovery of damages under Code § 105-2003, then no damages are allowable under Code § 105-2002, because (the majority says): "Any additional recovery under § 105-2002 would be a double recovery.” Thus, the first question posed at the beginning of the opinion is answered in the negative.
This constitutes a change in the law of damages.
It is a change in that heretofore damages under Code § 105-2002 were allowable in suits for disinterring dead bodies and interfering with possession of cemetery lots. Jacobus v. Congregation of Children of Israel, 107 Ga. 518 (2) (33 SE 853); Wright v. Hollywood Cemetery Corp., 112 Ga. 884 (5) (38 SE 94); Hale v. Hale, 199 Ga. 150 (2) (33 SE2d 441).
It is a change also in that heretofore Code §§ 105-2002 and 105-2003 could be given together in charge to the jury so long as the words "or as compensation for the wounded feelings of the plaintiff’ from § 105-2002 were not given in charge, it having been held that those words allowed a double recovery for wounded feelings where recovery was also sought for injury "to the peace, happiness, or feelings of the plaintiff’ under § 105-2003. Southern R. Co. v. Jordan, 129 Ga. 665 (2) (59 SE 802); Franklin v. Evans, 55 Ga. App. 177 (189 SE 722).
The impact of this change will not be limited to cemetery cases. The change will affect all recoveries under Code § 105-2003 where additional recovery could heretofore have been made under Code § 105-2002.1
*548Not only does the majority decision constitute a change in the law of damages; it is, in my view, an uncalled for change. In support of this view I refer to the discussion of Code §§ 105-1001 through 105-1003 in Division 10 of the opinion of the Court of Appeals in this case, 133 Ga. App. 262 (211 SE2d 135), adding only a brief additional comment.
Code §§ 105-2002 and 105-2003 are codifications of common law (see Editorial Notes to the Annotated Code). It is unfortunate that these codifications were overlapping. Southern R. Co. v. Jordan, supra; Franklin v. Evans, supra. In addition to the overlap shown by the Jordan and Franklin decisions, the second sentence of Code § 105-2003 ("The worldly circumstances of the parties, the amount of bad faith in the transaction . . .” etc.) would to me more appropriately be a part of § 105-2002. (Why should the worldly circumstances of the parties be admissible where the entire injury is to the peace, happiness, or feelings of the plaintiff, yet inadmissible to determine what amount may be necessary to deter the wrongdoer?) Thus, I agree with the majority that Code § 105-2003 contains elements of punitive damages.
No matter how much overlapping and lack of organization may exist in these two codifications of the common law, we should not repeal Code § 105-2002, even in part, when the two sections can be and have been harmonized and effectively applied. 2
I respectfully dissent from the second division of the majority opinion.

 Note to Judges: The Note which precedes the suggested pattern jury instruction on "Aggravated (Punitive or Exemplary) Damages, Jury Instructions, Civil, XI Damages 13, p. 88, is, I believe, no longer a correct statement of the law. That Note probably should read: "This charge [based on Code § 105-2002] is not to be *548given when charge 14 below, Vindictive Damages [based on Code § 105-2003], is given.”

 See footnote 1 above.