FOURTH DIVISION DILLARD, P. J., MERCIER and PINSON, JJ.
NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed. https://www.gaappeals.us/rules
DEADLINES ARE NO LONGER TOLLED IN THIS COURT. ALL FILINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THE TIMES SET BY OUR COURT RULES.
October 12, 2021
In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A21A1091. ROWE d/b/a SHELLMAR TREE SERVICE v. TYSON.
MERCIER, Judge.
Howard Tyson filed a lawsuit against Hank “Bo” Rowe d/b/a Shellmar Tree
Service alleging that he was significantly injured while working for Rowe on a tree
removal job.1 A jury awarded Tyson $4,250,000, and Rowe filed this appeal. Rowe
claims that the trial court erred by admitting evidence, by refusing to give his
requested jury instructions, and by denying his motion for a judgment
notwithstanding the verdict. Finding no error we affirm.
1. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by denying his motion for judgment
notwithstanding the verdict, or, alternatively, his motion for new trial. In reviewing
1 Beverly Tyson, aka Beverly Jones, was initially a plaintiff in the lawsuit but was no longer a party at the time of trial. an order for a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, an appellate court
must decide whether all the evidence demanded judgment n.o.v., or whether there was
some evidence supporting the verdict of the jury. See Ogletree v. Navistar Intl.
Transp. Corp., 271 Ga. 644, 647 (522 SE2d 467) (1999). “Where there is any
evidence upon which the verdict can be based, the jury is free to disbelieve whatever
facts are inconsistent with their conclusion and the court cannot substitute its
conclusion for that of the jury and enter a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.” Id.
(citation and punctuation omitted). In our review, we construe the evidence at trial in
the light most favorable to the prevailing party. See Ga. Trails & Rentals v. Rogers,
359 Ga. App. 207, 215 (3) (855 SE2d 103) (2021).
So viewed, the evidence at trial showed the following. In 2011 or 2012, Tyson
began working for Rowe’s company, Shellmar Tree Service. Tyson testified that he
never received job training regarding cutting down trees and that his only
responsibility was to pick up tree limbs that had fallen to the ground. Moreover,
Tyson was never instructed on where to stand when other employees were cutting
down trees.
On September 11, 2014, Rowe, Tyson and the rest of Rowe’s crew went to Sea
Island to cut down trees at a residential property. While the crew was cutting down
2 an 80 foot tall tree, Tyson was standing approximately 30 or 40 feet away in the
opposite direction of where the crew intended the tree to fall. Chandler Joseph was
on the ground next to the tree using a chainsaw, and Jonathan Howard was driving
a tractor which was tied to the tree to guide it during the fall. Rowe was riding in the
tractor and guiding the tension on the rope between the tree and the tractor.
As the crew was pulling the tree down, Tyson was hit and fell to the ground.
When Tyson regained his ability to breathe, he asked Rowe what had happened, and
Rowe said that Tyson had been hit by a “hang limb” from the top of the tree. Tyson
observed a pine limb near him on the ground.
An emergency responder testified that he arrived to find Tyson “lying
facedown next to a tree branch beneath a tree.” The responder was told that Tyson
had been hit by a falling tree limb. The injury rendered Tyson a quadriplegic, and his
doctor opined that he will likely never make a full recovery.
At the time of the incident, Tyson was not wearing a hard hat. He testified that
he would wear a hard hat if he was told to do so, but that he would not wear one
otherwise and that there were no hard hats in the work truck.
An arborist testified that Tyson was standing too close to the tree at the time
of the incident. While Tyson was standing approximately 30-40 feet away from the
3 tree, he should have been 180 feet away. The arborist opined that Tyson’s injury was
preventable.
Tyson claimed that Rowe negligently failed to provide a safe work
environment. “To recover for injuries caused by another’s negligence, a plaintiff must
show four elements: a duty, a breach of that duty, causation and damages.” Smith v.
Found, 343 Ga. App. 816, 818 (1) (a) (806 SE2d 287) (2017) (citation and
punctuation omitted). Rowe, Tyson’s employer, was at the location at the time of the
incident. He could see Tyson standing 30 or 40 feet from the bottom of the tree, and
Tyson was not wearing a hard hat. Rowe had far more experience cutting down trees
than Tyson, who had only ever picked up tree limbs off the ground.2 Moreover,
evidence was presented that Tyson had been hit by a “hang limb” from the top of the
tree and subsequently was rendered quadriplegic.
Rowe points to evidence that another tree removal company was using a wood
chipper nearby when the incident occurred, to suggest that Tyson had been hit by
wood from the chipper, instead of a hang limb. However, this evidence did not
demand the grant of Rowe’s j.n.o.v. See Ogletree, supra. Whether it was reasonably
2 At the time of the incident, Rowe had been running his own tree business for over a decade.
4 foreseeable that Tyson’s injury could occur, whether Tyson would have avoided the
injury had Rowe required him to undergo safety training, wear a hard hat, and/or
move further away from the tree, and whether Tyson exercised ordinary care, are
questions of fact on which the jury could differ. Given the evidence, the jury was
authorized to find that when the tree was cut down, Rowe should have reasonably
known or anticipated that Tyson could be injured in the process. As such, the trial
court did not err in denying Rowe’s j.n.o.v. See generally Champion v. Pilgrim’s
Pride Corp. of Delaware, 286 Ga. App. 334, 337-338 (b) (649 SE2d 329) (2007)
(jury issue as to whether the employee had specific knowledge or appreciation of the
hazard when employer had superior knowledge in negligence action).
Rowe, alternatively, moved for a new trial, but the trial court could only grant
that motion if, in the exercise of its discretion, it found that the jury’s verdict was
against the weight of the evidence. See OCGA §§ 5-5-20, 5-5-21; Williamson v.
Strickland & Smith, 263 Ga. App. 431, 433 (1) (587 SE2d 876) (2003). When, as
here, a trial court denies such a motion, “the appellate court does not have the
discretion to grant a new trial on that ground. We can only review the evidence to
determine if there is any evidence to support the verdict.” Id. (citation and
5 punctuation omitted). As discussed above, there was evidence to support the jury’s
verdict. Therefore, we affirm the trial court’s denial of Rowe’s motion for new trial.
2. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by admitting Tyson’s medical bills and
a summary of those bills into evidence. “The decision to admit or exclude evidence
is committed to the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed on
appeal absent a clear abuse of discretion.” Cheney v. Lawson, 333 Ga. App. 180, 182
(1) (773 SE2d 297) (2015) (citation and punctuation omitted).
Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI
FOURTH DIVISION DILLARD, P. J., MERCIER and PINSON, JJ.
NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed. https://www.gaappeals.us/rules
DEADLINES ARE NO LONGER TOLLED IN THIS COURT. ALL FILINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THE TIMES SET BY OUR COURT RULES.
October 12, 2021
In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A21A1091. ROWE d/b/a SHELLMAR TREE SERVICE v. TYSON.
MERCIER, Judge.
Howard Tyson filed a lawsuit against Hank “Bo” Rowe d/b/a Shellmar Tree
Service alleging that he was significantly injured while working for Rowe on a tree
removal job.1 A jury awarded Tyson $4,250,000, and Rowe filed this appeal. Rowe
claims that the trial court erred by admitting evidence, by refusing to give his
requested jury instructions, and by denying his motion for a judgment
notwithstanding the verdict. Finding no error we affirm.
1. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by denying his motion for judgment
notwithstanding the verdict, or, alternatively, his motion for new trial. In reviewing
1 Beverly Tyson, aka Beverly Jones, was initially a plaintiff in the lawsuit but was no longer a party at the time of trial. an order for a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, an appellate court
must decide whether all the evidence demanded judgment n.o.v., or whether there was
some evidence supporting the verdict of the jury. See Ogletree v. Navistar Intl.
Transp. Corp., 271 Ga. 644, 647 (522 SE2d 467) (1999). “Where there is any
evidence upon which the verdict can be based, the jury is free to disbelieve whatever
facts are inconsistent with their conclusion and the court cannot substitute its
conclusion for that of the jury and enter a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.” Id.
(citation and punctuation omitted). In our review, we construe the evidence at trial in
the light most favorable to the prevailing party. See Ga. Trails & Rentals v. Rogers,
359 Ga. App. 207, 215 (3) (855 SE2d 103) (2021).
So viewed, the evidence at trial showed the following. In 2011 or 2012, Tyson
began working for Rowe’s company, Shellmar Tree Service. Tyson testified that he
never received job training regarding cutting down trees and that his only
responsibility was to pick up tree limbs that had fallen to the ground. Moreover,
Tyson was never instructed on where to stand when other employees were cutting
down trees.
On September 11, 2014, Rowe, Tyson and the rest of Rowe’s crew went to Sea
Island to cut down trees at a residential property. While the crew was cutting down
2 an 80 foot tall tree, Tyson was standing approximately 30 or 40 feet away in the
opposite direction of where the crew intended the tree to fall. Chandler Joseph was
on the ground next to the tree using a chainsaw, and Jonathan Howard was driving
a tractor which was tied to the tree to guide it during the fall. Rowe was riding in the
tractor and guiding the tension on the rope between the tree and the tractor.
As the crew was pulling the tree down, Tyson was hit and fell to the ground.
When Tyson regained his ability to breathe, he asked Rowe what had happened, and
Rowe said that Tyson had been hit by a “hang limb” from the top of the tree. Tyson
observed a pine limb near him on the ground.
An emergency responder testified that he arrived to find Tyson “lying
facedown next to a tree branch beneath a tree.” The responder was told that Tyson
had been hit by a falling tree limb. The injury rendered Tyson a quadriplegic, and his
doctor opined that he will likely never make a full recovery.
At the time of the incident, Tyson was not wearing a hard hat. He testified that
he would wear a hard hat if he was told to do so, but that he would not wear one
otherwise and that there were no hard hats in the work truck.
An arborist testified that Tyson was standing too close to the tree at the time
of the incident. While Tyson was standing approximately 30-40 feet away from the
3 tree, he should have been 180 feet away. The arborist opined that Tyson’s injury was
preventable.
Tyson claimed that Rowe negligently failed to provide a safe work
environment. “To recover for injuries caused by another’s negligence, a plaintiff must
show four elements: a duty, a breach of that duty, causation and damages.” Smith v.
Found, 343 Ga. App. 816, 818 (1) (a) (806 SE2d 287) (2017) (citation and
punctuation omitted). Rowe, Tyson’s employer, was at the location at the time of the
incident. He could see Tyson standing 30 or 40 feet from the bottom of the tree, and
Tyson was not wearing a hard hat. Rowe had far more experience cutting down trees
than Tyson, who had only ever picked up tree limbs off the ground.2 Moreover,
evidence was presented that Tyson had been hit by a “hang limb” from the top of the
tree and subsequently was rendered quadriplegic.
Rowe points to evidence that another tree removal company was using a wood
chipper nearby when the incident occurred, to suggest that Tyson had been hit by
wood from the chipper, instead of a hang limb. However, this evidence did not
demand the grant of Rowe’s j.n.o.v. See Ogletree, supra. Whether it was reasonably
2 At the time of the incident, Rowe had been running his own tree business for over a decade.
4 foreseeable that Tyson’s injury could occur, whether Tyson would have avoided the
injury had Rowe required him to undergo safety training, wear a hard hat, and/or
move further away from the tree, and whether Tyson exercised ordinary care, are
questions of fact on which the jury could differ. Given the evidence, the jury was
authorized to find that when the tree was cut down, Rowe should have reasonably
known or anticipated that Tyson could be injured in the process. As such, the trial
court did not err in denying Rowe’s j.n.o.v. See generally Champion v. Pilgrim’s
Pride Corp. of Delaware, 286 Ga. App. 334, 337-338 (b) (649 SE2d 329) (2007)
(jury issue as to whether the employee had specific knowledge or appreciation of the
hazard when employer had superior knowledge in negligence action).
Rowe, alternatively, moved for a new trial, but the trial court could only grant
that motion if, in the exercise of its discretion, it found that the jury’s verdict was
against the weight of the evidence. See OCGA §§ 5-5-20, 5-5-21; Williamson v.
Strickland & Smith, 263 Ga. App. 431, 433 (1) (587 SE2d 876) (2003). When, as
here, a trial court denies such a motion, “the appellate court does not have the
discretion to grant a new trial on that ground. We can only review the evidence to
determine if there is any evidence to support the verdict.” Id. (citation and
5 punctuation omitted). As discussed above, there was evidence to support the jury’s
verdict. Therefore, we affirm the trial court’s denial of Rowe’s motion for new trial.
2. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by admitting Tyson’s medical bills and
a summary of those bills into evidence. “The decision to admit or exclude evidence
is committed to the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed on
appeal absent a clear abuse of discretion.” Cheney v. Lawson, 333 Ga. App. 180, 182
(1) (773 SE2d 297) (2015) (citation and punctuation omitted).
Beverly Jones, Tyson’s partner of 27 years, testified that she provides day-to-
day care for Tyson by performing tasks such as feeding and bathing him, and moving
him to avoid bedsores. She also took Tyson to the Shepherd Center for his care. Jones
authenticated Tyson’s medical bills, testifying that she was generally familiar with
the bills as the person who has taken care of him for years. She testified that Tyson’s
medical records were from his hospital stays, the Shepherd Center, and his
rehabilitation.
Under OCGA § 24-9-921 (a), a person responsible for care of the patient “shall
be a competent witness to identify bills for expenses incurred in the treatment of the
patient upon a showing by such a witness that the expenses were incurred in
connection with the treatment of the injury . . . involved in the subject of litigation at
6 trial . . . .” Furthermore, “it shall not be necessary for an expert witness to testify that
the charges were reasonable and necessary. However, nothing in this Code section
shall be construed to limit the right of a thorough and sifting cross-examination as to
such items of evidence.” OCGA § 24-9-921 (b).
Jones is responsible for the care of Tyson and identified the bills as expenses
incurred in Tyson’s treatment for his underlying injury. And counsel for Tyson had
the opportunity to cross-examine Jones about the bills and summary. See Arnsdorff
v. Fortner, 276 Ga. App. 1, 6-7 (3) (622 SE2d 395) (2005) (physical precedent only)
(trial court did not err in admitting medical bill summary when foundation regarding
bills was laid that expenses were incurred as a result of the accident and defendant
was not denied the opportunity to cross-examine as to the amount of medical
expenses).
Furthermore, the parties stipulated that the medical bills and summary would
be admitted into evidence in the pretrial order. As such, the trial court did not abuse
its discretion in admitting the medical bills and summary into evidence. See Hillman
v. Aldi, 349 Ga. App. 432, 442 (2) (825 SE2d 870) (2019) (“[g]iven that [the
appellant] had stipulated to the authenticity of these documents in the pretrial order
. . . the trial court did not err in admitting the exhibits over her objection”). Compare
7 Cheney, supra at 181-183 (1) (when underlying medical bills were not admitted into
evidence and no testimony that the charges listed in the summary were incurred as a
result of the medical malpractice procedure at issue, trial court abused its discretion
by admitting summary of medical bills).
3. Rowe argues that the trial court erred by admitting photographs of the
property where the incident occurred because the photographs were taken years after
the incident. But, Rowe fails to support this error with citation of authority or legal
argument. As such, it is abandoned. See Court of Appeals Rule 25 (c) (2) (“Any
enumeration of error that is not supported in the brief by citation of authority or
argument may be deemed abandoned.”); Davis v. Osinuga, 330 Ga. App. 278, 281-
282 (2) (767 SE2d 37) (2014).
4. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by refusing to give several of his
requested jury charges. “In order for a refusal to charge to be error, the request must
be entirely correct and accurate; adjusted to the pleadings, law, and evidence; and not
otherwise covered in the general charge.” Lee v. Swain, 291 Ga. 799, 800 (2) (b) (733
SE2d 726) (2012) (citation and punctuation omitted).
8 (a) Rowe requested a jury charge on accident based on Caldwell v. Knight, 94
Ga. App. 827 (96 SE2d 331) (1956). Rather than giving the defendant’s requested
accident jury charge, the trial court instructed the jury that “this is a tort case in which
the Plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the negligence of the
Defendant, if any, was the proximate cause of the injuries to the Plaintiff.” The trial
court also instructed that “[b]efore a Plaintiff can recover damages from a Defendant
in a case such as this, there must be an injury to the Plaintiff resulting from the
Defendant’s negligence.” As the defendant’s requested charge was generally covered
by the other jury charges, we find no error. See Benson v. Hunter, 184 Ga. App. 40,
40-41 (360 SE2d 612) (1987) (as negligence charges were given by trial court “the
failure to give the additional requested charge on the merely ‘elaborative’ defense of
legal accident was, at most, harmless error”) (citation and punctuation omitted).
(b) Rowe also challenges the trial court’s refusal to give his requested ordinary
care jury charge. Not only did the trial court instruct the jury on ordinary care, Rowe
failed to object to the trial court’s refusal to give his specific requested charge at trial.
This issue has been waived for purposes of appeal. See Beal v. Costa, 269 Ga. App.
873, 874 (2) (605 SE2d 631) (2004).
9 (c) Rowe objects to the trial court’s refusal to give his requested charge on
contributory negligence. But he fails to support this enumerated error with argument
or citation of authority. Instead, Rowe merely reiterates the requested charge and its
origin. Thus it is deemed abandoned. See Gaines v. Crompton & Knowles Corp., 190
Ga. App. 863, 865 (3) (380 SE2d 498) (1989).
(d) Rowe claims that the trial court erred by failing to give his requested jury
instruction that stated: “[a]n employer is not liable to an employee for injuries arising
from the negligence or misconduct of other employees working about the same
business.” Again, Rowe fails to support this enumerated error with argument or
citation of authority and thus it is deemed abandoned. See Gaines, supra.
(e) Rowe claims that the trial court erred by refusing to give another requested
ordinary care jury charge. As discussed in Division 4 (b), the trial court gave an
ordinary care pattern jury charge. See Suggested Pattern Jury Instructions, Vol. I:
Civil Cases (2020) § 60.110. The trial court did not err in refusing to charge the jury
with Rowe’s requested ordinary care charge. See Thompson v. Princell, 304 Ga. App.
256, 261 (b) (696 SE2d 91) (2010) (“It is axiomatic that a jury charge need not be
given in the exact language requested if the charge as given clearly covers the
circumstances of the case.”) (citation and punctuation omitted).
10 (f) Rowe claims that the trial court erred by refusing to give his requested jury
charge regarding an employee’s knowledge of a hazard and assumption of risk. Rowe
fails to support this enumerated error with argument or citation of authority and thus
it is deemed abandoned. See Gaines, supra.
(g) Rowe claims that the trial court erred by refusing to give his jury charge
regarding an employer’s duty to warn of dangers incident to the job. Again, Rowe
fails to support this enumerated error with argument or citation of authority and thus
5. Rowe claims that the trial court erred by not allowing Tyson to use an
affidavit at trial, but, again, he fails to support this claim with citations to the record,
citation of authority, or legal argument. As such, it is abandoned. See Davis, supra.
Judgment affirmed. Dillard, P. J., and Pinson, J., concur.