Court Opinion

ID: 9565228
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:17:05.49242+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:19:28.620894
License: Public Domain

Felton, J.,
dissenting. The action in this case is predicated on the theory that Hertz Driv-Ur-Self Stations.Inc., rented the automobile in question to defendants Cowart and Wallace jointly, and both parties concede that unless this fact was proved no verdict against Hertz would have been authorized. I am of the opinion that the legal evidence admitted does not authorize such a finding. The following testimony of defendant Cowart is all the evidence touching the question of a joint rental: “You ask me if the following statements are true or not, which are *878contained in paragraph three of the plaintiff’s petition: ‘That on or about May 22, 1948, defendant Hertz Driv-Ur-Self Stations, Incorporated, hereinafter referred to as Hertz rented to defendants Cowart and Wallace a certain 1946 black Chevrolet sedan, license number EX 34271, under an arrangement whereby said Cowart and Wallace were permitted to take said automobile and drive it wherever they pleased, paying defendant Hertz a stipulated amount for each mile the automobile was driven while in their possession.’ Yes, sir, it says here it is true. You ask me if it is true, or not. I think it was a ’47. I think it was a ’47 black Chevrolet. Outside of that it is my statement that it is true. Wallace and I jointly paid for the use of that car on that occasion. This was not the first time that Wallace and I had jointly rented automobiles from Hertz. On previous occasions we had jointly paid for the use of them. Wallace got that automobile from the Hertz Station here in Atlanta. That Station is located down here on Auburn Avenue, I believe. I never rented an automobile from the Atlanta office of Hertz Driv-Ur-Self Stations. On this particular day in the afternoon I was riding in the car with the defendant Wallace. Mr. Wallace rented this car from the Hertz Station here. I think he signed a rental contract for that car. I have already testified that we both jointly paid for it. That is the way we did every time we rented a car from Hertz. As to whether I paid anything to the Hertz office there for the car or whether I paid it to Mr. Wallace for the rental—Wallace and I—-I was there and paid for it there that morning when we turned it in. I don’t remember just now whether he paid it up there or I did, I later paid him my part of it. I don’t recall whether I paid it to Hertz or Wallace paid it to Hertz, but we jointly paid it.” (Emphasis mine.) There are statements of conclusions by Wade Cowart in the foregoing testimony to the effect that the witness and Wallace jointly rented the automobile from Hertz but the explicit facts testified to by the witness do not authorize the conclusion or finding that there was a joint rental or that Hertz so understood it.