Court Opinion

ID: 9583301
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:37:19.246589+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:38:56.225645
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Gardner, Presiding Judge.
The car in question was bought from Downtown Chevrolet Company, Atlanta, Georgia, under a title-retention clause contract to take care of the unpaid balance. The contract was bought by the Associates Discount Corporation. The plaintiff was slightly behind on the payments at the time the car was seized. The plaintiff testified that one of the payments was due “about that time” (meaning about the time the car was seized). He immediately offered to pay that note, but payment was refused. When the defendant saw the car parked where the plaintiff stayed in a town in Texas, without ■any notice whatsoever to the plaintiff, the defendant removed thq car and put it in storage in the town in Texas. When this was discovered by the plaintiff about two hours after he had parked the car, the plaintiff immediately went to the Texas office of the defendant company and made demand for his personal belongings which he referred to- as “stuff.” He was told by a representative of the defendant that the car was in storage and that it was impossible for the plaintiff to get possession of his personal belongings. He was informed that he would have *743to take* it up with the defendant’s office in Atlanta.- In Atlanta he was told he would have to get the matter straightened out in Texas.
We certainly cannot interpret any phraseology of -this contract to mean that any personal belongings found in the car went into the lawful possession of the defendant when the car was seized in the manner depicted here, or for that-matter, under any circumstances. Even under the provision that “ ... in repossessing said motor vehicle the said owner may take possession of any property therein at the time of repossession and hold such property temporarily for me without any responsibility or liability on his part” and under lawful repossession of the car, the personal belongings should have been turned over to the plaintiff immediately upon demand being made therefor, which was not done. Only the car and the car equipment or attachments could have been seized and retained under either a trover action or under a title-retention clause of a contract of sale of a car. Had the car been seized lawfully (which we certainly do not concede), the taking of the personal belongings was entirely without the scope of any law concerning the taking of a car because of any unpaid balance due on such car. It follows that none of the personal belongings under consideration here were lawfully in the possession of the defendant and the fact finding authority so- found.
It is true that when the plaintiff mentioned his personal belongings he did n'ot itemize-the “stuff,” but when his property had been illegally taken he had no way of getting to his car and it is no wonder that he did not wish to mention the presence of the diamond ring in the car. At that time he did not itemize any of the personal belongings. His- demand for his personal belongings under the terminology of “stuff” was sufficient demand for all items, including the diamond ring.
The plaintiff was required to prove the value of every item of his personal belongings, including the value of the diamond ring. The value of the personal belongings was proved to- the satisfaction of the judge trying the case without the intervention of a jury, which was done by consent of counsel for all parties concerned. As to the value of the diamond ring, the evidence *744shows conclusively that the ring was bought ten years previous to the illegal seizure for $300 and that it was worth more at the time it was seized and at the time of the trial. This evidence was believed and approved by the trial judge, as is reflected by his judgment.
It is strikingly strange that the defendant did not contest the value of the other items of personal belongings of the plaintiff which were seized with the car but so far as the record shows it was conceded that the plaintiff had proven the value of the other numerous items in the car, the value of the ring only being questioned. As we have stated hereinabove the value of the ring was proved also.
The record shows that the motion for a new trial was based on the statutory general grounds only and was based on the contention regarding the diamond ring, as to whether demand had been made for it and further the motion prayed that $300 covering the value of the diamond ring be, written off the judgment, leaving a judgment against the defendant and for the plaintiff in the sum of $148.95.

Judgment adhered- to on motion for rehearing.

Carlisle, Quillian and Nichols, JJ., concur. Felton, C. J., and Townsend, J., dissent.