Court Opinion

ID: 9579072
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:51:13.824178+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:34:15.442419
License: Public Domain

Carley, Chief Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
In Case No. A89A2267, I concur in the majority’s affirmance of the grant of a directed verdict in favor of appellee-defendants Abco, Breman, Richards and Huggins. It is my opinion, however, that the majority incorrectly dismisses that main appeal as against appelleedefendants Aaron Rents, Inc. (Aaron) and Citizens & Southern National Bank (C & S) and that the majority consequently errs by dismissing Case Nos. A89A2268 and A89A2269 as mooted cross-appeals. I must, therefore, respectfully dissent to the majority’s failure to address the merits of all the issues that, in my opinion, have been properly raised in these three appeals.
Hambrick v. Fidelity Acceptance Corp., 159 Ga. App. 540 (284 SE2d 53) (1981) is factually and procedurally indistinguishable. The trial court in the instant case granted directed verdicts in favor of Aaron and C & S as to their liability for some but not all of the elements of damage that appellant-plaintiff was seeking to recover against them. Because they became immediately effective, these rulings were not obviated or negated by appellant’s subsequent voluntary dismissal of the case as against Aaron and C & S. That subse*301quent voluntary dismissal went only to Aaron’s and C & S’s asserted liability for the remaining elements of damage. Accordingly, the trial court’s previous grants of directed verdicts in favor of Aaron and C & S are viable and extant rulings and the subsequent voluntary dismissal as to the remaining issues should not be construed as rendering moot appellant’s instant appeal from those previous rulings. “In the case sub judice a refiling of the action predicated upon those issues which were voluntarily dismissed will provide a foundation upon which a claim for punitive [and other] damages might rest. However, the trial court’s direction of the verdict [s] in favor of [Aaron and C & S] in the case sub judice would stand as res judicata and be a bar to possible recovery on these additional damages in a subsequent action. Therefore, any error in the decision of the trial court which this court failed to correct would present irreparable harm to [appellant].” Hambrick v. Fidelity &c. Corp., supra at 543 (2).
Decided March 14, 1990
Rehearing denied March 30, 1990
Hurt, Richardson, Garner, Todd & Cadenhead, A. Paul Cadenhead, Homer A. Houchins, Jr., C. Michael Johnson, Kenneth L. Karlberg, for Broadfoot.
Greene, Buckley, DeRieux & Jones, John D. Jones, Francis C. Schenck, for Aaron Rents.
Fortson & White, Bruce H. Beerman, Beth H. Paradies, for C & S National Bank.
Because the subsequent voluntary dismissal did not affect the efficacy of the trial court’s previous grant of directed verdicts in favor of Aaron and C & S, the majority’s dismissal of appellant’s appeal is tantamount to an affirmance of those rulings without regard to whether or not they may be erroneous. As the result of the majority’s decision, those rulings will now become res judicata and a bar to appellant’s recovery of certain elements of damage despite his present proper attempt to secure an appellate review of his entitlement to recover those damages. I must respectfully dissent to what I perceive to be the majority’s erroneous denial of appellant’s only opportunity to seek to secure a reversal of the grant of the directed verdicts in favor of Aaron and C & S.
I am authorized to state that Judge Pope joins in this opinion.