Court Opinion

ID: 9585966
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:05:43.786723+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:24:17.705418
License: Public Domain

Quillian, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent from the majority decision which holds that an action should be dismissed rather than permit an amendment in the name of the party plaintiff. The majority found this to be a “substitution” of parties which was authorized generally by OCGA § 9-11-17 (a) (Code Ann. § 81A-117), but not specifically under OCGA § 9-11-25 (Code Ann. § 81A-125), as such “substitution” in the instant case is not one of the types included in the latter code section. I do not find this distinction controlling.
The Supreme Court, in Block v. Voyager Life Ins. Co., 251 Ga. 162 (303 SE2d 742), decided the issue of whether “pleadings may be amended to substitute a named party plaintiff when suit is filed in the name of a party which is not a legal entity.” They held that “amendments to change the name of a party are permitted as long as the original party designation describes a person, firm or corporation. See Powell v. Ferguson Tile & [Terrazzo] Co., 125 Ga. App. 683 (188 SE2d 901).” In Powell, supra, this Court held: “ ‘It is no longer issuable that under Georgia procedure the name of either a plaintiff or defendant may be corrected by amendment prior to judgment so long, at least, as the name by which the originally designated party is described imports a person, firm, or corporation, even though it is in fact not so.’ ” 125 Ga. App. at 685. Thus, we permitted an amendment from the first described plaintiff — “Ferguson Tile & Terrazzo Co.” to “Robert H. Ferguson, d/b/a Ferguson Tile & Terrazzo Co.” In the instant case we are asked to do the opposite, i.e., to permit an amendment of a party plaintiff from “Franklyn S. Gesner” to “Franklyn Gesner Fine Paintings, Inc.”
In Voyager Life Ins. Co. v. Estate of Frank G. Bagley, 165 Ga. App. 212 (299 SE2d 118), this Court found that where the original action was brought in the name of “Estate of Frank G. Bagley” as plaintiff, that the proceedings were a nullity. The Supreme Court reversed holding: “The Civil Practice Act requires that a suit be filed by a real party in interest but allows for amendment to substitute the real party in interest if incorrectly named. OCGA § 9-11-17 (Code Ann. § 81A-117). OCGA § 9-11-15 (Code Ann. § 81A-115) provides for liberal amendments and this is consistent with our holdings that the pleadings are not an end in themselves but only a method to assist in reaching the merits of the case. McDonough Constr. Co. v. McLendon Electrical Co., 242 Ga. 510 (250 SE2d 424) (1978). The courts shall *332construe the pleadings ‘as to do substantial justice.’ OCGA § 9-11-8 (f) (Code Ann. § 81A-108).” Id.
It should be noted that this is not a case in which a party defendant is changed — whereby service on the proper party would be in issue. This is an instance whereby a person purchased paintings on behalf of his corporation from the defendant. The purchasing party was originally named as the plaintiff because he was the active party participant — even though his corporation paid the bill. The defendant was not misled or deceived. And, the amendment was petitioned by motion, as stated in the majority opinion, and was authorized by order of court after a hearing. We should not permit “labels” in pleading from achieving “substantial justice.” See OCGA § 9-11-8 (f) (Code Ann. § 81A-108). “It is an elementary rule of pleading that substance, not mere nomenclature, controls. Girtman v. Girtman, 191 Ga. 173, 180 (4) (11 SE2d 782); Chance v. Planters &c. Co-op., 219 Ga. 1, 5 (131 SE2d 541).” McDonald v. State, 222 Ga. 596, 597 (151 SE2d 121); accord: Evans v. City of Tifton, 138 Ga. App. 374 (6) (226 SE2d 471); Goldstein v. Smith, 141 Ga. App. 493 (2) (233 SE2d 864). Thus, whether the change in the name of the party plaintiff was a “substitution” under OCGA § 9-11-25 (Code Ann. § 81A-125), or was authorized as an addition and deletion under OCGA § 9-11-21 (Code Ann. § 81A-121), or an “amendment[] to change the name of a party [which is] permitted so long as the original party designation described] a person, firm or corporation,” (Powell v. Ferguson Tile & Terrazzo Co., 125 Ga. App. 683, supra), very clearly it was authorized under the much broader rule of Block v. Voyager Life Ins. Co., 251 Ga. 162, supra, which holds “that where the party plaintiff named in a complaint is not a legal entity but is reasonably recognizable as a misnomer for a legal entity which is the real party plaintiff, the misnomer may be corrected by amendment.” The original plaintiff in the instant case was a person, reasonably recognizable as a misnomer for the real party plaintiff and the misnomer may be corrected by amendment. I would hold that the discretionary appeal was improvidently granted.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge McMurray and Judge Pope join in this dissent.