Court Opinion

ID: 9564952
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:12:13.924339+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:19:17.082066
License: Public Domain

*587Nichols, Presiding Judge,
dissenting. The majority opinion holds that where a petition alleges a fact chargeable to the defendant, followed by another fact incompatible with the first fact and dependent upon still another intervening event to accomplish the ultimate fact relied upon, on general demurrer such omitted fact will be supplied by inference, and the omitted fact will be construed as a happening, to be expected by the defendant, and not as an intervening act sufficient to insulate-the defendant.
Such construction of a petition is contrary to the basic rules of construction of pleadings, adhered to by .both this court and the Supreme Court through the years, that on demurrer a pleading is to be construed against the pleader and in the light of omissions as well as averments. “In construing a petition on general demurrer, the court will consider that the plaintiff intended to serve his own best interest and will construe the allegations of the petition most strongly against the pleader, and if any inference unfavorable to the rights of the party claiming [such] right may be fairly drawn from the allegations of the petition this will be done. Hulsey v. Interstate Life & Accident Ins. Co., 207 Ga. 167, 169 (60 SE2d 353).” Tarver v. Savannah Beach, 96 Ga. App. 491, 494 (100 SE2d 616). “In order to hold the defendant liable, the petition must show either that the act complained of was the sole occasion of the injury, or that it put in operation other causal forces, such as were the direct, natural, and probable consequences of the original act, or that the intervening agency could have reasonably been anticipated or foreseen by the original wrongdoer.” Gillespie v. Andrews, 27 Ga. App. 509, 510 (108 SE 906).
The petition in the instant case alleged that the linoleum fell because of its small base, but such allegation is contradicted by the allegation that such roll of linoleum, once placed in such position, remained there for several days.
“ ‘Upon demurrer, pleadings are to be construed most strongly against the pleader, and in the light of their omissions as well as their averments; and if an inference unfavorable to the right of a party claiming a right under such pleadings may be fairly drawn from the facts stated therein, such inference will prevail *588in determining the rights of the parties. Krueger v. MacDougald, 148 Ga. 429 (1) (96 SE 867); Hulsey v. Interstate Life &c. Insurance Co., 207 Ga. 167, 169 (60 SE2d 353).’ Chalverus v. Wilson Mfg. Co., 212 Ga. 612 (1) (94 SE2d 736). . . The courts are bound to take judicial cognizance of physical laws. Rome Ry. &c. Co. v. Keel, 3 Ga. App. 769 (60 SE 468); Lamar Electric Membership Corp. v. Carroll, 89 Ga. App. 440, 458 (79 SE2d 832), and Reynolds v. Mion & Murray Co., 93 Ga. App. 37, 40 (90 SE2d 593). . . The doctrine of res ipsa loquitur does not aid pleadings (Eaton v. Blue Flame Gas Co., 91 Ga. App. 510 (2), 86 SE2d 334).” John Deere Plow Co. v. Johnson, 98 Ga. App. 36 (105 SE2d 33).
The petition alleges that the linoleum rug had been placed in its standing position several days before the plaintiff was injured and there is no allegation that any outside force (someone pushed it, etc.), caused the rug to fall, that the “base” of the rag gave way, that vibration caused the rag to fall, or that any other happening caused the rag to fall on the plaintiff. As has been shown, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur does not aid pleadings, and since the court must take judicial cognizance of physical laws, in this case that the rag once placed in a position where it would remain for several days would riot fall unless some physical change took place, and, where none is alleged, no actionable negligence is alleged, since it must be assumed that the intervening cause was such as would relieve the defendant of any negligence in originally placing such rag in a standing-position, otherwise the plaintiff’s petition would have alleged such cause.