LaHatte v. Walton

184 S.E. 742, 53 Ga. App. 6, 1936 Ga. App. LEXIS 2
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedMarch 14, 1936
Docket24499
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 184 S.E. 742 (LaHatte v. Walton) 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
LaHatte v. Walton, 184 S.E. 742, 53 Ga. App. 6, 1936 Ga. App. LEXIS 2 (Ga. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

Sutton, J.

This case grew out of a collision between a public-carrier motor truck of the defendants, LaHatte, Loeb, and Jones, doing business under the name of the Chattanooga-Atlanta Motor Freight Line, and the plaintiff’s automobile, in which the plaintiff received certain personal injuries which he alleged were caused by the negligence of the driver of the defendants’ motor truck, “in failing to operate said truck on the right-hand side of the road, . . in failing, upon meeting the car in which petitioner was riding which was traveling in the opposite direction, to turn to the right of the center of the highway, which was a violation of state law,” and “in failing, in rounding the curve, to keep said truck as far to the right on the highway as was reasonably possible,” it being set up that in rounding a curve where the collision occurred the defendants’ truck was being operated on the left-hand side of the road, and continued to be so operated until it crashed into the plaintiff’s automobile which was being operated on its extreme right-hand side of the highway. The Bankers Indemnity Insurance Company, the insurance carrier, with whom the other defendants were bonded or insured as required by section 5 of the motor common-carrier act of 1929, was sued jointly with such other defendants. The defendants filed separate demurrers on the ground that no cause of action was stated, because the petition was multifarious and duplicitous in that there was a misjoinder of parties defendant and of causes of action, because there was no joint liability between the insurance company and the other defendants. The defendants moved also to strike the insurance company from the case, and to purge the pleadings of all reference to said company. Basing his ruling on authority of Laster v. Maryland Casualty Co., 46 Ga. App. 620 (168 S. E. 128), the judge [8]*8overruled the demurrers and the motion to strike, and the defendants excepted pendente lite. The trial resulted in a verdict for $8000 in the plaintiffs favor against all of the defendants. The defendants moved for a new trial on the general grounds, and by amendment added sixteen special grounds in which they assigned error on certain excerpts from the charge of the court- to the jury, and on failure to give in charge certain requested instructions. The court overruled the motion for new trial, and the defendants excepted, assigning error also on the rulings excepted to pendente lite.

Section 5 of the motor common-carrier act of 1929 is identical with section 7 of the motor common-carrier act of 1931 (Code of 1933, § 68-612), except as to the amount of the bond or indemnity insurance referred to therein, and is as follows: “No certificate shall be issued or continued in operation unless the holder thereof shall give bond, with adequate security, for the protection, in case of passenger vehicles, of the passengers and baggage carried and of the public, against injury proximately caused by the negligence of such motor carriers, its servants or agents, and, in cases of vehicles transporting freight, to secure the owner or person entitled to recover therefor against loss or damage to such freight, for which the motor carrier may be legally liable, and for the protection of the public against injuries proximately caused by the negligence of such motor carrier, its servants or agents. The commission shall approve, determine, and fix the amount of such bonds, in a sum of not more than $10,000 for any one accident, casualty, or mishap, and not more than $5000 for any one injured or damaged party or claimant, and shall prescribe the provisions and limitations thereof; and such bonds shall be for the benefit of and subject to suit or action thereon by any person who shall sustain actionable injury or loss protected thereby. The commission may, in its discretion, allow the holder of such certificate to file in lieu of such bond a policy of indemnity insurance in some indemnity-insurance company authorized to do business in the State of Georgia, which policy must substantially conform to all of the provisions hereof relating to bonds, and must likewise be approved by the commission. The commission shall have power to permit self-insurance in lieu of a bond or policy of indemnity insurance, whenever, in its opinion, the financial ability of the [9]*9motor carrier warrants.” Acts 1929, pp. 293, 297. The plaintiff’s suit was brought against the motor-carrier defendants and against the insurance carrier under this provision of the act of 1929; and the question raised by the demurrers and the motion to strike is strenuously urged and insisted on by defendants, and is controlling in this case. This question was certified to the Supreme Court by this court; and the Justices thereof, being evenly divided on whether to answer in the affirmative or negative, returned the question to this court without answer. LaHatte v. Walton, 181 Ga. 785 (184 S. E. 278). The question is as follows: “Can a joint action at law be maintained against a motor common carrier and against the indemnity company with whom such motor common carrier has procured a policy of indemnity.insurance for the benefit and protection of the public against injuries caused proximately by the negligence of such motor common carrier, its servants or agents, by a person who has been injured by the alleged negligence of the driver of a motor common-carrier bus belonging to such motor common carrier, in driving the bus into an automobile driven by the plaintiff, the policy of indemnity insurance being procured by the defendant motor common carrier pursuant to the provisions” of the above section of said act of 1929 ? Even a casual observation will disclose that there is no practical difference in the wording and in the intent and meaning of the provisions of section 5 of the act of 1929, involved in this case, and the corresponding provisions of section 7 of the motor common-carrier act of 1931, which were involved and dealt with in Laster v. Maryland Casualty Co., supra. The 1931 law superseded the 1929 act, but the policy of insurance was issued to the defendants in this case and the collision resulting in the injury to the plaintiff occurred before the enactment of the 1931 act, and hence were under the motor common-carrier act of 1929. Section 7 of the act of 1931 (Code of 1933, § 68-612) is as follows: “No certificate shall be issued or continued in operation unless the holder thereof shall give and maintain bond, with adequate security, for the protection, in ease of passenger vehicles, of the passengers and baggage carried, and of the public, against injury proximately caused by the negligence of such motor common carrier, its servants or agents; and in cases of vehicles transporting freight, to secure the owner or person entitled to recover therefor against loss or damage to such freight [10]*10for which the motor common carrier may be legally liable; and for the protection of the public against injuries proximately caused by the negligence of such motor carrier, its servants or agents. The commission shall approve, determine, and fix the amount of such bonds, and shall prescribe the provisions and limitations thereof, and such bonds shall be for the benefit of and subject to suit or action thereon by any person who shall sustain actionable injury or loss protected thereby. The commission may, in its discretion, allow the holder of such certificate to file in lieu of such bond a policy of indemnity insurance in some indemnity insurance company authorized to do business in this State, which policy must substantially conform to all of the provisions hereof relating to bonds, and must likewise be approved by the commission.

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Bluebook (online)
184 S.E. 742, 53 Ga. App. 6, 1936 Ga. App. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lahatte-v-walton-gactapp-1936.