Court Opinion

ID: 9585811
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:04:07.862469+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:24:15.205766
License: Public Domain

Felton, C. J., and Townsend, J.,
concurring specially. We concur in the ruling in the first division of the opinion as written.
By cross-bill of exceptions the defendant assigns error on the judgment of the trial court in denying its motion to dismiss the *386motion for a new trial, based on the ground that no brief of evidence, transcript, or stenographic report of the evidence properly approved had been submitted, as a result of which the motion for a new trial was fatally defective. The certificate of the trial court to the bill of exceptions contains the following: “I further certify that the assignments of error made in the motion for a new trial do not require the consideration by the court of the evidence in said case, and a brief of the evidence is not necessary to a consideration of the errors complained of.”
It is here contended by the plaintiff in error in the main bill of exceptions that, under the act of 1947 and the decision in Huguley v. Huguley, 204 Ga. 692, no brief of evidence is necessary to determine the sole assignment of error relating to the qualification of jurors, especially since nothing in the brief of evidence would have any bearing on this legal question. It is contended by the plaintiff in error in the cross-bill of exceptions that, under the decisions of Whitner v. Whitner, 80 Ga. App. 831 and 207 Ga. 97, a brief of evidence is necessary for the purpose of determining whether or not the verdict was demanded by the evidence in all cases where errors in rulings of the court are rendered harmless because the verdict as rendered would in any event be demanded under the evidence. Errors in selecting jurors or denying motions to purge the jury are harmless where the verdict is demanded by the evidence. Frazier v. Swain, 147 Ga. 654 (3) (95 S. E. 211); Reed v. DeLaperiere & Smith, 99 Ga. 93 (3) (24 S. E. 855).
We agree that no brief of the evidence was necessary, but base our conclusion on a different reason. ' In the present record the certificate of the trial court states that no brief of evidence is necessary to an adjudication of the alleged errors, which certificate is unchallenged and gives rise to the presumption that the verdict was not demanded by the evidence so as to render the court’s error harmless. Reynolds v. Satterfield, 86 Ga. App. 816 (72 S. E. 2d 811). In such case the certificate should be taken as prima facie true. We do not think we should impute to the General Assembly the intention, in passing the act of 1947, to deprive the appellate courts of the power to test the harmful effect of a ruling on a special ground of a motion for new trial by a consideration of the question whether a verdict was de*387manded by the evidence. The only constitutional construction that can be given to the act of 1947 is that no brief of the evidence shall be necessary where a verdict was authorized for either party, and the only way in which such a fact could be made to appear would be a certificate to that effect by the trial judge, in which case such fact would be treated as prima facie true, or by a stipulation between the parties.
Such a view as here expressed in no wise would restrict that right of litigants or of the appellate court to have before it all the record which is necessary for the determination of assignments of error. Where the plaintiff in error desires to bring up to this court a brief of the evidence, should the trial judge refuse to certify the bill of exceptions on the ground that such brief was unnecessary, the plaintiff in error would have a-remedy by mandamus, so that this court might decide whether or not such brief of evidence is necessary. See Petty v. Patterson, 144 Ga. 339 (87 S. E. 19). Should the defendant in error desire the brief of evidence before this court on appeal in a situation where the trial court certified that the same was unnecessary to an adjudication of the errors assigned, he could assign error in a cross-bill of exceptions as to that part of the judge’s certificate stating no brief of evidence is necessary, on the ground that such statement was a conclusion of law, and, by incorporating the evidence in the cross-bill of exceptions, test the question of whether or not such brief of evidence was in fact necessary, since, in any conflict between the bill of exceptions and the record in a case, the record is controlling. Where there is a conflict between the bill of exceptions and the record as to matters concerning the record in the case, the former must yield to the latter. Brumfield v. Jackson, 193 Ga. 548 (19 S. E. 2d 279); Silverman v. Alday, 200 Ga. 711 (32 S. E. 2d 419).