Seaboard Air Line Railroad v. Hawkins
Seaboard Air Line Railroad v. Hawkins
Opinion of the Court
In these companion cases the defendant railroad company appeals from rulings of the trial court allowing the two plaintiffs, a wife and her husband, to maintain actions against the company based on a grade crossing collision between a vehicle operated by the wife and the defendant’s train. Held:
1. Where a plaintiff elects to amend within the time specified in an order sustaining general and special demurrers and providing for automatic dismissal upon a failure to amend within the time specified, “he is entitled to have his entire petition as amended considered on renewed and additional demurrers as to whether a cause of action is then alleged.” Peacock Constr. Co. v. Chambers, 223 Ga. 515, 518 (156 SE2d 348). Accordingly, the trial court in the present cases, in recognition of the rules in effect before the Civil Practice Act, did not err in overruling the motions for orders suggesting automatic dismissal of the plaintiffs’ petitions.
2. While the trial judge expressly predicated his rulings on the above motions on the rules in effect before the Civil Practice Act, as was proper, the motions being directed to the legal effect of pleadings and orders preceding the effective date of the Act, he expressly overruled the renewed and additional demurrers to the amended petition under the new rules of the Civil Practice Act. Absent any affirmative determination on his part (under Code Ann. § 81A-186) that it would not be feasible or would work an injustice to apply the new procedure, his action in considering the new procedure applicable was proper.
3. The defendant urges before this court that the general demurrers be considered under the new procedure as motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim, and “does not insist upon the renewed and additional special demurrers.” Under the Civil Practice Act, aside from venue, the plaintiff’s complaint must contain “(1) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief, and (2) a demand for judgment for the relief to which he deems himself entitled.” Code Ann. § 81A-108 (a). All pleadings are to be construed to do substantial justice. Code Ann. § 81A-108 (f). The petitions in the present cases disclose a
Judgment affirmed.
Concurring Opinion
concurring specially. While I agree with the conclusion reached in Division 1 of the opinion, I cannot agree with the rule of law set forth therein as it is stated for the reason that a necessary element of the rule is omitted. The intimation in Division 1 is that there is no longer a procedure for objecting to an amendment upon the ground that the amendment does not meet the ruling on demurrer. Prior to the Civil
Since this is the situation here (the motion to dismiss based upon an attack on the amendment having been made after the renewal of the demurrers to the petition as amended), the trial court did not err in overruling such motion, it having been filed too late. However, where a proper objection to the amendment is made, the question for determination is not whether the petition as amended is subject to demurrer, but the only question is whether the amendment meets the prior ruling on demurrer.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SEABOARD AIR LINE RAILROAD COMPANY v. HAWKINS (Two Cases)
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published