Court Opinion

ID: 9606244
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:48:20.273341+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:33.975186
License: Public Domain

Beasley, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent with respect to Division 2, although I concur in the dismissal effected by Division 1.
To prevail on appeal, the appellants must show some harm even if they show error. Glass v. State, 235 Ga. 17, 19 (2) (218 SE2d 776) (1975); Murray v. Stratford, 181 Ga. App. 592 (1) (353 SE2d 85) (1987).
Appellants thrice had notice of the confirmation hearing: mailed service of the application pursuant to OCGA § 9-11-5 (b) upon attorney for the appellants, who had initiated the lawsuit originally; service of the Request for Oral Argument which clearly included it; publication of the hearing in the official organ.
Even if this was not an adequate type of notice to meet the statutory mandate of OCGA § 44-14-161 (c), appellants have shown no harm. They actually knew of the confirmation hearing in advance and attended and fully participated in it. This is unlike the situation in *181First Nat. Bank v. Kunes, 128 Ga. App. 565 (197 SE2d 446) (1973), aff'd 230 Ga. 888 (199 SE2d 776), where the two complaining parties had no notice as “debtors,” 230 Ga. at 889, and so did not have their day in court, see 128 Ga. App. at 567 (4). Unlike the two debtors there, who had no “opportunity to contest the approval of the sales before claims for the balance of the indebtedness could be prosecuted against them,” 230 Ga. at 889, the appellants here had and took advantage of such opportunity. In Henry v. Hiwassee Land Co., 246 Ga. 87 (269 SE2d 2) (1980), the debtor was not at the confirmation hearing and, in addition, no proceedings were pending between the parties there when the deficient notice was given.
Decided December 3, 1987.
Donald J. Goodman, for appellants.
Thomas C. Harney, for appellee.
In this case, however, the purposes of confirmation were met. First Nat. Bank &c. Co. v. Kunes, supra; Goodman v. Nadler, 113 Ga. App. 493, 496 (2) (148 SE2d 480) (1966). To reverse in order to hold another confirmation hearing with the same participants seems needless in the particular circumstances of this case.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Deen and Judge Pope join in this dissent.