Court Opinion

ID: 9569856
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:18:03.841511+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:04:10.785527
License: Public Domain

Blackburn, Judge,
concurring specially.
The trial court charged on comparative negligence: “If you find *286that the Defendant was negligent, so as to be liable to the Plaintiff and the Plaintiff was also negligent, thereby contributing to Plaintiffs injury and damage; but that the Plaintiff’s negligence was less than the Defendant’s negligence, then the negligence of Plaintiff would not prevent the Plaintiff’s recovery of damages. But would require that you reduce the amount of damages otherwise awarded to Plaintiff in proportion to the negligence of the Plaintiff, compared with that of the Defendant.” The majority at p. 284 faults this charge for its failure to contain “ ‘ “the principle of law that if the plaintiff’s negligence is equal to or greater than the defendant’s, the plaintiff can not recover.” ’ ” However, I am of the opinion that the trial court’s charge did contain “the principle of law” required by the majority, even though it did not contain the exact language required by the majority. I see little difference in a charge which requires that the plaintiff’s negligence be less than the defendant’s negligence for recovery and one which requires that if the plaintiff’s negligence is equal to or greater than the defendant’s, the plaintiff cannot recover. See Underwood v. Atlanta &c. R. Co., 105 Ga. App. 340, 360 (124 SE2d 758), rev’d in part on another issue 218 Ga. 193 (126 SE2d 785) (1962) (describes the comparative negligence rule as allowing plaintiff to recover when less negligent than defendant or when the defendant was more negligent that the plaintiff); Brown v. Meikleham, 34 Ga. App. 207, 209 (128 SE 918) (1925) (supports charge requiring that fault of plaintiff does not equal but is less than the fault of the defendant). It is a distinction without a difference. For this reason, I must specially concur with the judgment.
Decided March 4, 1994.
Jones, Cork & Miller, C. Ashley Royal, Jerry A. Lumley, William T. Prescott, for appellant.
Knox & Zacks, David M. Zacks, R. Perry Sentell III, Gary J. Toman, Kilpatrick & Cody, Ted H. Clarkson, Chambless, Higdon & Carson, Joseph H. Chambless, for appellee.