Court Opinion

ID: 9847334
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:58:00.172652+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:07.486477
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Hall, Presiding Judge,
dissenting. Appellant strongly urges (a) that the evidence does not authorize the verdict, (b) that the court omitted charges on vital issues in the case, (c) the attorneys fees awarded were excessive and unauthorized by the evidence, (d) and *580that the court erred in permitting the jury to return to the jury room and return a different verdict after a verdict had been published.
The evidence of conspiracy was weak, but there is in the record some evidence on which the jury might find one to have existed, and on appeal if there is any evidence which can be said to support the verdict it is to be affirmed.
A reading of the charge reveals that it was imperfect. There were serious omissions as to vital issues, such as what constitutes fraud and as to the nature and quantum of proof that would authorize a finding of conspiracy. See Almand v. Thomas, 148 Ga. 369 (96 SE 962). However, it appears from the record that when counsel were afforded opportunity to except to the charge, appellant’s counsel affirmatively accepted the charge as made, thus waiving any error of omission or of commission. Bryant v. Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, 121 Ga. App. 32 (2) (172 SE2d 439); Gaither v. Green, 122 Ga. App. 25 (176 SE2d 204).
A careful review of the evidence relative to the matter of attorneys fees, however, reveals error. An attorney who testified as a witness for the plaintiff on this matter was asked: "Q. Did you familiarize yourself with the fact that Mr. Denham in his deposition testified he transferred all of his property to his wife? A. I did read that. Yes, sir. Q. As professional attorneys fees, do you recognize that this would incur additional problems in addition to the trial of this case? A. I would certainly say so. Q. All right. From your investigation and what you determined about the case, what, in your opinion, would be the reasonable value of services for counsel for the plaintiff considering that there are two and considering the amounts involved and the other aspects of this case? A. A reasonable amount would be ten thousand dollars. I base this on what I have studied of the pleadings, the time for preparation of the case, the possibility of additional work after this time, generally, this type of case . . . and that’s what I base my ten thousand dollar figure on.”
This evidence failed to prove what a reasonable fee would be for preparation, handling and trial of this case. It erroneously includes the possibility of additional work to be done after the trial. That is impermissible.
*581It was not "competent to admit evidence as to any fee or compensation for services which would be rendered only on the contingency that the litigation should be protracted beyond the trial and verdict hy motion for a new trial, or by writ of error. The jury could make no practical application of such evidence without assuming that the litigation would be so protracted, and that assumption might not he realized, in which event the [defendant] would have to pay for services not rendered or expenses not incurred. Any estimate of the witnesses, beyond the amount of a certain fee for services up to judgment on the verdict, and for the usual care and attention afterwards in enforcing the judgment, should have been excluded . . . [I]t might, perhaps, be allowable in a proper case, for the jury, under direction of the court, so to mould their verdict as to leave the amount of fees for successful resistance to future litigation open for assessment hy another jury after the litigation was all over.” Travelers Ins. Co. v. Sheppard, 85 Ga. 751, 793 (12 SE 18).
As counsel for appellant urge, a recovery on this evidence, if allowed to stand, might very well lead to a double recovery for any subsequent litigation in the matter. Neither the witness nor the jury was clairvoyant enough to know or to foresee just what that would be, what it would involve or what would be a fair appraisal of fees for it.
There is no way of separating the amount which the jury may have awarded for this litigation up to verdict and judgment, and what it may have included for possible future litigation. Hence, there was no evidence on which a lawful verdict could be returned. The evidence was without probative value in proving a proper allowance of fees for this litigation, and the verdict should not he permitted to stand.
Appellant makes a strong case for his position that a verdict had been returned and published, based upon Count 2 of the petition. If the trial court had simply directed that the attorneys fees be eliminated from the verdict when the foreman of the jury asserted that it was intended to be upon Count 2 there would probably have been no error. However, we must recognize that juries do make errors in their verdict, and that if one has been made it ought to be permitted to correct it before dispersal. Under the *582clear recharge of the court in sending the jury back, we conclude that this is what occurred.
I dissent from Division 4 of the majority opinion, and would, for the reason stated above, reverse. I am authorized to state that Judge Eberhardt concurs in this dissent.