Central of Georgia Railway Co. v. Leonard

176 S.E. 137, 49 Ga. App. 689, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 534
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 11, 1934
Docket23753
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 176 S.E. 137 (Central of Georgia Railway Co. v. Leonard) 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
Central of Georgia Railway Co. v. Leonard, 176 S.E. 137, 49 Ga. App. 689, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 534 (Ga. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinions

Guekry, J.

Only tbe first, second, and seventh headnotes need elaboration. Where a member of the general public sustains an injury by the negligent running of railway cars of a lessee railroad company at a public crossing, may he maintain an action against ■the lessee and the lessor company, where the lease is recorded, un[692]*692der the act of 1889 (Civil Code, §§ 2598, 2599), requiring such leases to be recorded and prescribing certain penalties for failure to record? The plaintiff was alleged to have been injured at a public street-crossing in the City of Albany by the negligence of the Central of Georgia Eailway Company in operating a freight-train over the crossing, which company leased and operated such train over the tracks of the Southwestern Eailroad Company. This lease was recorded under the act of 1899 (Civil Code, §§ 2598, 2599) which as codified reads as follows: “§ 2598. All railroad companies in this State, which have already leased or which may hereafter lease their property or line of road to another railroad company or to a private person, shall have the contract of lease or other contract of like nature, evidencing the change of control and possession of such property or line of road, recorded in the clerk’s office of the superior court in each county through which said line of road may run. § 2599. A failure or refusal to comply with the preceding section will authorize any person having a right of action against said railroad or the lessee thereof, including any employee of the same, to file and prosecute said action against said railroad company in all respects, as if the same were the proper party defendant, and any plea or other defense attempting to shift liability to such lessee or denying control or possession of such property or line of road filed either to the suit of a person belonging to the general public or to a suit filed by an employee as aforesaid, shall not avail to protect any such railroad against liability that fails or refuses to record as provided in the preceding section.” The plaintiff filed suit against both railroad companies for damages. The Southwestern Eailroad Company filed a demurrer to the petition, contending that the petition disclosed that the lease between it and the Central of Georgia Eailway Company was recorded in the county of the alleged injury, and that therefore, under the provisions of the above-quoted act, it was not liable for the negligence of the Central of Georgia Eailway Company.

Prior to the passage of the above act there was adopted, in the Code of 1895, § 1864 (§ 2228 of the Code of 1910), a provision which reads as follows: “A corporation charged with a duty to the public can not, by sale or otherwise, dispose of its property or franchises so as to relieve itself from liability for acts' done or omitted, without legislative sanction expressly exempting it from [693]*693liability.” In the case of Macon & Augusta R. Co. v. Mayes, 49 Ga. 355 (15 Am. R. 678), Moses Mayes sued the Macon and Augusta Eailroad Co. for damages, “alleged to have been sustained by the plaintiff on account of the negligent conduct of the defendant in the running of its cars.” From the report of that case it appears that Hull & Company had contracted with the defendant to construct its road, and the evidence was in conflict as to whether they had entirely completed and formally turned over the road to the defendant. However, it appears that DeBogan was the engineer of an engine, employed by Hull & Company. The plaintiff was, on the day of the accident, ordered by one Erintup, superintendent of the construction company, to serve as fireman on DeBogan’s engine in transporting the president of the railroad company over the road. The train upon which plaintiff was riding, in proceeding over the road, had a collision with a train of the Georgia Eailroad which was proceeding over the road of the defendant by its permission. In upholding the verdict for the plaintiff the court said: “Where a railroad company permits other companies or persons to exercise the franchise of running cars drawn by steam over its road, the company owning the road, and to which the law has entrusted the franchise, is liable for any injury done, as though the company owning the road were itself running.the cars.” (Italics ours.) A railroad thus can not, without special authority of statute, alienate its franchise or property acquired under the right of eminent domain, or essential to its performance of its public duty, whether by sale, mortgage, or lease, so as to relieve itself from responsibility for damages incurred by the use of its franchise. In Jones v. Georgia Southern R., 66 Ga. 558, the plaintiff brought suit against Walker and Tucker and the Georgia Southern Eailroad jointly for an injury done to him by a coemployee. It appeared that Walker and Tucker leased from the Georgia Southern Railroad its tracks, and was operating, under the lease at the time of the injury to Jones. Jones was nonsuited, and the court, in upholding the non-suit, said: “ On the judgment of nonsuit, to which exception was also taken, we can see no error. The plaintiff, Jones, was the track-hand and servant of Walker and Tucker, lessees, and not of the Georgia Southern Eailroad Company, then the only defendant before the court in this case.” This ruling was cited as authority for the ruling made in Banks v. Georgia R. &c. Co., 112 Ga. 655 (37 [694]*694S. E. 992), which was as follows: “A chartered railroad company which, under legislative authority, leased its tracks and franchises to another such company, is not liable for the homicide of an employee of the latter, caused by the negligence of a coemployee.” The court said, in the Banks case: “In Macon and Augusta Railroad Co. v. Mayes, 49 Ga. 355, it was held [quoting that portion of the opinion already quoted in this opinion]. In that case the company owning the road was held liable for a tort to an employee of the company using the franchise, occasioned by the negligence of his coemployee; but there was no legislative authority for the latter company to use the franchise; indeed there was no lease at all. And therein lies the marked distinction between that ease- and the one in hand. Here the Georgia Bailroad and Banking Company had express authority in its charter to lease its road. The case of Jones v. Georgia Southern R. Co., 66 Ga. 558, is exactly in line with the case under consideration. There the Georgia Southern Railroad Company in accordance with the power given in its charter, as well as by the decretal order of the district court of the United States, leased all its property and franchises to Walker and Tucker. Jones, a track-hand, sued Tucker and the Georgia Southern Bailroad Company, as partners running the road, for an injury resulting, as he alleged, from the negligence of a coemployee. Tucker was not served, and the case proceeded against the railroad company. Upon the trial it appeared that Jones was an employee of Walker and Tucker, who were operating the road under the lease. [The court then quotes from that part of the opinion already quoted above.]” In Singleton v. Southwestern R. Co., 70 Ga. 464, the plaintiff alleged that he purchased a ticket from the defendant to ride upon its road from Howard to Geneva and return, and that by the carelessness of the defendant and the negligence of its agents he was injured and damaged in a named sum.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Decker v. State
459 S.E.2d 586 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1995)
Gibson Products Co. of Gainesville, Inc. v. Rowe
284 S.E.2d 43 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1981)
Atlanta & West Point Railroad v. Armstrong
227 S.E.2d 71 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1976)
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad v. Smith
205 S.E.2d 888 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1974)
Isom v. Schettino
198 S.E.2d 713 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1973)
Undercofler v. v. F. W. Post 4625
139 S.E.2d 776 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1964)
Harrison v. League
92 S.E.2d 595 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1956)
Greyhound Corp. v. Stokes
86 S.E.2d 804 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1955)
Central of Georgia Ry. Co. v. Gibson
83 S.E.2d 271 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1954)
McClure v. Union Lumber Company
79 S.E.2d 412 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1953)
Sammons v. Webb
71 S.E.2d 832 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1952)
Orkin Exterminating Co. v. Wingate
67 S.E.2d 250 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1951)
Georgia Railroad & Banking Co. v. Fulmer
65 S.E.2d 636 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1951)
Sylvania Central Railway Co. v. Gay
61 S.E.2d 587 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1950)
Western & Atlantic Railroad v. Fowler
47 S.E.2d 874 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1948)
Southern Railway Co. v. Garland
76 Ga. App. 729 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1948)
Georgia Railroad & Banking Co. v. Lokey
25 S.E.2d 921 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1943)
Callaway v. Pickard
23 S.E.2d 564 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1942)
Eidson v. Felder
22 S.E.2d 523 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1942)
Pollard v. Roberson
6 S.E.2d 203 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
176 S.E. 137, 49 Ga. App. 689, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-of-georgia-railway-co-v-leonard-gactapp-1934.