Court Opinion

ID: 9624581
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:10:20.888282+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:50.459083
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Demurrers to a petition on the grounds of misjoinder of parties and causes of action are special demurrers, McCullough v. Atlantic Refining Co., 181 Ga. 502 (2) (182 SE 898), Farmers & Merchants Bank v. Gibson, 211 Ga. 270 (2) (85 SE2d 513), and while the sustaining of such demurrers, without more, may be a final adjudication on the subject in the absence, of exceptions thereto, Smith v. Bugg, 35 Ga. App. 317 (133 SE 49), it is not a final judgment which will support a direct bill of exceptions to this court. Harrell v. Southern R. Co., 13 Ga. App. 409 (79 SE 240). It follows that such a ruling, with time to amend, does not become such a final judgment after the time for amendment has expired. And, where, after the time allowed for amendment has expired without the filing of an amendment, the trial judge, because of failure to amend, dismisses the petition on motion of the demurrant, a bill of exceptions assigning error on such final judgment of dismissal and also assigning error on the prior ruling on demurrer, properly presents to. this court for decision the question as to whether the trial court erred in sustaining such demurrers. See Elliott v. Orange Crush Bottling Co., 56 Ga. App. 313 (1) (192 SE 530). As to the procedure involving *520the sustaining of special demurrers, see McSwain v. Edge, 6 Ga. App. 9 (2) (64 SE 116); White v. Little, 139 Ga. 522, 523 (3) (77 SE 646). As to general demurrers, see Clark v. S. F. C. Acceptance Corp., 109 Ga. App. 180 (135 SE2d 473). The sustaining of a special demurrer to a plaintiff’s petition does not ipso facto work a dismissal of the petition, although judgment has been entered thereon and no amendment has been offered, where the order does not require that the plaintiff shall amend the petition, under the penalty of dismissal in case the amendment shall not be filed.” News Publishing Co. v. Lowe, 8 Ga. App. 333 (69 SE 128). The bill of exceptions presented within 30 days of the judgment of dismissal is not too late, even though presented more than 30 days after the time for amendment has expired. The decision of this court in Kelly v. Georgia R. &c. Co., 24 Ga. App. 439 (101 SE 401), holding that the sustaining of such demurrer as that in the present case is a final judgment without an additional order expressly dismissing the petition, was overruled in Georgia R. &c. Co. v. Kelly, 150 Ga. 698 (105 SE 300), and even if, as contended by defendant in error, the Supreme Court ruling did not affect the particular rulings involved here, we are bound by the older decision of this court in News Publishing Co. v. Lowe, 8 Ga. App. 333, supra.

Motion for rehearing denied.