56 Ga. App. 267 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1937
J. W. Pace instituted suit against tbe defendant described in tlie petition as “The Coca-Cola Bottling Company,” which it was alleged is a corporation of the State of Georgia, with an office, agency, and place of business in the County of Carroll. The return of service showed that “the defendant Coca-Cola Bottling Company” was served “by serving upon one A. W. Eord, agent of the defendant company at Carrollton, Georgia^ personally with a copy of the within petition and process.” It does not appear that any plea or answer was filed before the call of the appearance docket. After that call an amendment to the petition, offered by the plaintiff, was allowed subject to demurrer, by which the name of the defendant, as alleged in the petition, was amended so as to read “the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Carrollton.” Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Cook, 6 Ga. App. 128 (64 S. E. 665). At the same term of court at which the amendment was allowed, “the Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company” made a special appearance for the express and only purpose of moving to dismiss the amendment, without waiving process, service, jurisdiction or any other legal defense, or requirement of law as to proper service and notice on the “Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company” which said company may have in and to the said suit. The motion to dismiss the amendment was on the ground that the amendment made a new and distinct party defendant, and no service of the amendment and process, or of a rule nisi issued on the amendment, had been made on the movant, and that therefore the allowance of the amendment was “contrary to law,
“The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company” moved to dismiss the amendment solely on the ground that the amendment made a new party defendant, and was allowed without notice to the movant. The movant did not deny that it was in fact served with the original petition and process. While the entry of service recites that service was perfected on “The Coca-Cola Bottling-Company,'' which was the defendant named in the original petition, “by serving upon one A. W; Ford, agent of the defendant company,” “The Coca-Cola Bottling Company,” the service when perfected on A. W. Ford, agent, may in fact have been perfected on “The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company.” If no service in fact had been perfected on “The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling-Company,” it was unnecessary for “The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company” to make any special appearance for the purpose of excepting to the allowance of the amendment to the petition. Since “The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company” has made a special appearance for the purpose of attacking the amendment to the petition, it may be assumed for the present purpose that service was perfected on it. There' was no exception to the amendment in that it made as party defendant “The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Carrollton” but did not make as the party defendant “The Carrollton Coca-Cola Bottling Company,” the movant.
As provided in the Code, § 81-1206, “All misnomers, whether in the Christian name or surname, made in writs, petitions, or other judicial proceedings on the civil side of the court, shall, on motion, be amended and corrected instanter, without working unnecessary delay to the party making the same.” The name of a defendant as alleged in a petition may be changed by an amendment which does not make a new party defendant, but which merely corrects' the name as alleged in the petition, that is which
There is no merit in the objection that the amendment makes a new party defendant, or that the amendment or a rule nisi issued thereon was not served on the objector, namely “The Carrollton ■ Coca-Cola Bottling Company.” The 'court did not err in overruling the motion to strike the amendment.
Judgment affirmed.