Court Opinion

ID: 9846528
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:43:13.286792+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:19:37.240106
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
On motion for rehearing plaintiff argues for the first time that the charge on contradictory, vague or equivocal testimony was erroneous because it is applicable only when the contradictory testimony is given at the trial and is not applicable when, as here, the contradictory testimony was given on some previous occasion. See Slaton Machine Sales v. Owens-Illinois, 138 Ga. App. 80 (3) (225 SE2d 473) (1976). Even if plaintiff’s only contradictory testimony was that given at pre-trial deposition, and introduced at trial for impeachment, *505plaintiff waived this objection by failing to raise it below. The only objections raised to the subject charge were the general objections that “it is inapplicable to the evidence . . . not adjusted to the evidence ... is argumentative and would be more properly covered under other charges . . and the specific objection that “there is other evidence other than her testimony.” The trial court had no opportunity to rule on the error now asserted because it was not raised in a “reasonably definite” manner. See OCGA § 5-5-24 (a). The ground for objection must be raised below to be pursued on appeal. See Velkey v. Grimes, 214 Ga. 420 (105 SE2d 224) (1958). The ground raised for the first time on motion for rehearing was not at trial “stated distinctly enough for a ‘reasonable’ trial judge to understand its nature, enabling him to rule intelligently on the specific point.” Christiansen v. Robertson, 237 Ga. 711, 712 (229 SE2d 472) (1976). This is not one of those rare instances of fundamental error requiring reversal despite the failure to raise the objection below. See OCGA § 5-5-24 (c).
Decided September 4, 1990
Rehearing denied November 7, 1990
Dozier, Akin & Lee, L. Z. Dozier, Jr., for appellant.
Martin, Snow, Grant & Napier, Walter E. King III, John C. Edwards, for appellee.

Motion for rehearing denied.