Long v. Marion

355 S.E.2d 711, 182 Ga. App. 361, 1987 Ga. App. LEXIS 1690
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedMarch 12, 1987
Docket73547
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 355 S.E.2d 711 (Long v. Marion) 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
Long v. Marion, 355 S.E.2d 711, 182 Ga. App. 361, 1987 Ga. App. LEXIS 1690 (Ga. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

Beasley, Judge.

Appellants Long and Import Performance Centre, Ltd., brought an action against appellee Marion seeking to recover a sum owed under an agreement to repair appellee’s 1953 Bentley automobile (Count 1). The complaint also contained Counts (2 through 4) for false arrest and imprisonment, trespass and to recover punitive damages. Appellee’s answer denied the material averments of the complaint and also set forth a three-count counterclaim. Count 1 alleged appellants breached the contract to repair appellee’s Bentley. Count 2 was in the nature of trover (conversion) and sought recovery of certain automobile parts alleged to be in appellants’ possession. Count 3 alleged misrepresentations as to the services appellants would provide, and also violation of the Fair Business Practices Act. The counterclaim prayed for $5,770 for breach of contract; return of appellee’s parts to him; punitive damages for appellants’ intentional torts of conversion, fraud and deceit; treble damages and attorney fees.

Appellant Ferretti had been mentioned in Count 1 of the counterclaim but was not named as a defendant. Appellee moved to amend his counterclaim to include Ferretti as a defendant and also to make him a party. An order was subsequently entered permitting Ferretti’s addition as a party and directing that he be served. This was accomplished (although the legality of the service is one of the questions on appeal) and Ferretti filed an answer which recited: “Now comes William Ferretti having been improperly served with insufficient copies, and duly searching the clerks office for the superior court on the 18th day of March, 1985 was unable to locate documents joining same and files an answer and defenses to pleadings against Robert Long and Import Performance Centre, Ltd. to which attorney Robert Lipman, counsel for the plaintiff alleges William Ferretti has been joined.” His second defense was: “This court lacks personal jurisdic *362 tion over this defendant due to improper service.”

Ferretti’s attack on service was not a part of the pretrial order which was subsequently entered on December 13, 1985. After discovery the case was tried before a jury. The issues as to Counts 2 through 4 of appellants’ complaint were eliminated and the remaining issues were submitted to the jury by special verdict. The findings on the basic issue are here summarized. Appellee did not breach the contract, but appellants did, for which $3,800 was awarded. Appellants were guilty of fraud for which $6,000 was awarded. Appellee was entitled to recover his automobile parts. Appellants did not violate the Georgia Fair Business Practice Act. Litigation expenses were awarded to appellee in the amount of $17,000. Punitive 1 damages for $20,000 were imposed on Long and Ferretti.

Appellants’ motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal followed.

1. Ferretti contends that he was illegally served by an unauthorized individual and that he was not served with all the pleadings, particularly with a copy of the amended counterclaim. Ferretti’s argument as to ineffective service is predicated on the fact that he was served by an individual who was an employee of the person formally appointed by the court to serve Ferretti. He relies on Townsend v. Williams, 170 Ga. App. 766 (318 SE2d 510) (1984) where we held that purported service by one not specially appointed by the court was without effect.

We do not reach this issue, however, since insofar as the record reveals it was not raised in the trial court. As pointed out in our statement of facts the only basis for lack of service contained in Ferretti’s answer was that he was served with insufficient copies. While he might have enlarged his attack that the court lacked personal jurisdiction due to improper service by adding the basis he now urges on appeal, the record is devoid of a showing that he did so. According to a colloquy which took place at the close of the evidence, Ferretti did raise an issue whether he was correctly served “at the time the jury was coming in”; the ground was not stated and it may have been the insufficient-copies ground, which was the only one specified in the proceedings. The trial judge overruled the objection on the ground that it came too late. The record is silent as to Ferretti having attempted to contend that service was accomplished by one without authority to do so.

“Grounds which may be considered on appeal are limited to those which were urged before the trial court.” Harrison v. Lawhorne, *363 130 Ga. App. 314, 318 (5) (203 SE2d 292) (1973). Also, the reviewing court will not impute a determination to the trial court which the record does not suggest. Georgia Power Co. v. Harrison, 253 Ga. 212, 215 (2) (318 SE2d 306) (1984). Thus, the only ground remaining concerns the failure to serve Ferretti with all the pleadings.

Where actual notice of a suit has been received by a defendant, no technical or formal objection should invalidate process. Brim v. Pruitt, 178 Ga. App. 321, 324 (342 SE2d 690) (1986). In the circumstances here, even if, all the pleadings were not originally given Ferretti at the time he was served, he had ample time to be thoroughly apprised of the claims against him and their rationale. Moreover, the issue as to service was not included in the papers comprising the pretrial order. In Georgia Power Co. v. O’Bryant, 169 Ga. App. 491, 493 (313 SE2d 709) (1984), where this court found defendant had waived its insufficiency of service of process defense it was held: “The linchpin of our conclusion is appellant’s failure to make any mention whatsoever of its service of process defense in the pretrial order in this case.”

We find no demonstrable error in the trial court’s refusal to sustain the attack on service.

2. Appellants contend the trial court erred in permitting them to be extensively cross-examined regarding their financial condition.

At the beginning of Ferretti’s cross-examination he was asked for an opinion of the value of his home. Objection was interposed on the ground the line of questioning was inadmissible and irrelevant “because no attempt of willful fraud has been proven.” That objection was overruled and no further objection was interposed to Ferretti’s continued testimony as to his finances. During cross-examination, Long was asked what his salary was. Before a response was given, counsel began a motion to withhold ruling on admission of the evidence until the court ruled on the sufficiency of evidence relating to bad faith or fraud. However, no ruling was made on the motion and the hearing, out of the jury’s presence, evolved into a hearing on motions for directed verdict. Afterward, Long’s finances were explored by a series of questions to which there was no objection.

Appellants now argue their finances were not admissible where recovery was sought for aggravated damages under OCGA § 51-12-5 citing Bob Maddox Dodge v. McKie, 155 Ga. App. 263, 264 (3) (270 SE2d 690) (1980), but their argument is confined to the bounds of their trial objections. We cannot consider grounds raised for the first time on appeal. Steverson v. Hosp. Auth. of Ware County, 129 Ga. App.

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Bluebook (online)
355 S.E.2d 711, 182 Ga. App. 361, 1987 Ga. App. LEXIS 1690, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/long-v-marion-gactapp-1987.