Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, Inc.

211 S.E.2d 135, 133 Ga. App. 262, 1974 Ga. App. LEXIS 1040
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedOctober 8, 1974
Docket49367
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 211 S.E.2d 135 (Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, Inc., 211 S.E.2d 135, 133 Ga. App. 262, 1974 Ga. App. LEXIS 1040 (Ga. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinions

Stolz, Judge.

The plaintiff widow brought a tort action against the defendant cemetery for the alleged unauthorized and unlawful moving of the body of her late husband and the [263]*263monument, from one grave site to another. For a statement of the facts in the case, see Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, 124 Ga. App. 195 (183 SE2d 399), in which this court affirmed the grant of a summary-judgment for the defendant. On certiorari, the Supreme Court reversed our judgment, Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, 228 Ga. 461 (186 SE2d 92), and we conformed, reversing the trial court. Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, 125 Ga. App. 322 (187 SE2d 551). At the trial of the case, the plaintiff obtained a verdict and judgment for $15,000 actual and $85,000 punitive damages. The trial judge granted the defendant’s motion for a new trial on the general and special grounds, from which order, certified for immediate review, the plaintiff appeals.

1. "[T]his court will not disturb the first grant of a new trial on the general grounds where no abuse of discretion by the trial judge appears and the evidence does not demand a verdict and judgment for the plaintiff in any specific amount. Code Ann. § 6-1608; Martin v. Denson, 117 Ga. App. 288 (160 SE2d 210); Warren v. Mann, 117 Ga. App. 787 (161 SE2d 894); Prosser v. Horis A. Ward, Inc., 123 Ga. App. 205 [180 SE2d 270].” (Emphasis supplied.) Smith v. Clark, 123 Ga. App. 458 (2) (181 SE2d 551). "Where the damages sued for are not liquidated . . . and rest in the discretion of the jury under the evidence, notwithstanding the evidence may demand a finding that the defendant is liable to the plaintiff in some amount, a verdict in the amount found by the jury is not as a matter of law demanded.” Lawson v. Lawson, 61 Ga. App. 787 (2) (7 SE2d 603). All of the above cases except Lawsonwere decided subsequent to the enactment of both the Civil Practice and Appellate Practice Acts, and Lawsonwas cited with approval in Garrett v. Garrett, 128 Ga. App. 594, 596 (3) (197 SE2d 739).

Accordingly, although the finding of the defendant’s liability in some amount was authorized, if not demanded, by the evidence and by the "law of the case” established by the Supreme Court’s ruling on the former appeal, the verdict in the amount found by the jury was not demanded, because the actual damages (for mental pain and anguish) and punitive damages sought were unliquidated, resting in the discretion of the jury under [264]*264the evidence. The trial judge has the discretion of granting a new trial on the general grounds, when his mind and conscience disapprove the verdict as rendered, though the verdict is not so large in amount as to carry conviction of bias and prejudice on the part of the jury, and though the case is one in which the only measure of damages is the enlightened conscience of the jury. Smith v. Maddox-Rucker Banking Co., 8 Ga. App. 288 (1) (68 SE 1092). It is not shown that the trial judge abused his discretion in granting this first new trial on the general grounds.

The appellant expresses apprehension that the trial judge has it in his power to subvert jury verdicts by successive grants of new trials and refusal to certify such grants for immediate appeal. Of course, this result would not likely occur if the judge did so certify. "In the second grant of a new trial the discretion of the trial court is not so ample as in the first grant thereof, and must be exercised with caution, as the presumption of the legality of such grant weakens upon each concurrent verdict.” Ansley v. Atlantic C. L. R. Co., 86 Ga. App. 152 (2) (71 SE2d 434). The appellant cannot complain of what might happen in the event of the judge’s refusal to certify, since he did certify in the present appeal. The remedy for the hypothetical situation posed would have to be provided by the General Assembly, in view of the requirement of a certificate for immediate review in order to make a judgment granting a new trial appealable. West v. West, 229 Ga. 649 (193 SE2d 820) and cits.

2. "Since the enactment of the Act of 1957, approving the amendment to the Rules of Practice & Procedure (Ga. L. 1957, p. 224 et seq.), and particularly Sec. 2 thereof [amending former Code § 6-701], the rule applied in Hayes v. Dicks, 95 Ga. App. 11 (96 SE2d 627), is no longer applicable in cases of this kind, and it, therefore, becomes necessary to consider the rulings made by the trial judge in granting a new trial on the special grounds if it appears that such questions may recur on another trial.” Dennard v. Styles, 101 Ga. App. 459 (2) (114 SE2d 317). The provisions of Code Ann. § 6-701 (b) (Ga. L. 1965, p. 18; 1968, pp. 1072, 1073) are materially identical to the corresponding provisions of [265]*265former Code § 6-701, which it superseded, the changes made being principally in nomenclature, to conform with the terminology of the Appellate Practice Act of 1965. The General Assembly further indicated its intention to incorporate into the Appellate Practice Act of 1965 the policy recognized in Dennard, supra, by its mandate that said law "shall be liberally construed so as to bring about a decision on the merits of every case appealed, and to avoid dismissal of any case or refusal to consider any points raised therein, except as may be specifically referred to herein.” (Emphasis supplied.) Code Ann. § 6-905 (Ga. L. 1965, pp. 18, 40).

3. The charge complained of in special ground 4, allowing punitive (exemplary) damages for the wrongful moving of the body, was authorized by Judge Evans’ dissent in the prior appearance of this case in this court, Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, 124 Ga. App. 195, supra, p. 211 (5), which was adopted (with one qualification) by the Supreme Court. Blanchard v. Westview Cemetery, 228 Ga. 461, supra. Regarding the charge of the term "wrongfully moved,” the jury was instructed as to the cemetery’s rules not authorizing moving of the body to correct an error in the deed, conforming to the dissents of Judges Pannell and Evans, adopted by the Supreme Court, as hereinabove mentioned.

4. The charge complained of in special ground 5 was authorized by Judge Pannell’s dissent in Blanchard, 124 Ga. App. 195, supra, p. 201. The "type of error” to which the trial judge was referring is apparent from the phrase which follows it, i.e., "by moving the body from the lot actually purchased to a lot not purchased, but described by error in the deed.”

5. Concerning special ground 6, the charge allowing exemplary damages was authorized under Judge Evans’ dissent in Blanchard, 124 Ga. App. 195, supra, p. 211, and cits., and Code § 105-2003. The trial judge withdrew his charge as to physical damages, leaving with the jury the issue of damages for wounded feelings, etc., hence no double damages were involved. See McLaughlin v. State, 132 Ga. App. 88 (2) (207 SE2d 629).

6. The trial judge did not err in submitting the issue of the defendant’s good or bad faith to the jury, as [266]*266complained of in special ground 7. The jury could find bad faith from the evidence that the defendant moved the body without the authority of the contract, without written (or other) notice to the plaintiff or her family (although a letter would have been forwarded to her new address, according to the evidence), and without applying for a disinterment and reinterment permit (as to this, see Headnote 8, below).

7.

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Bluebook (online)
211 S.E.2d 135, 133 Ga. App. 262, 1974 Ga. App. LEXIS 1040, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blanchard-v-westview-cemetery-inc-gactapp-1974.