Lead Opinion
There is an enormous amount of space, both in the bill of exceptions and in the briefs of counsel, devoted to the presentation and argument as to whether or not the judgment denying a prayer for an interlocutory injunction, unexcepted to, became the law of the case, controlling or affecting the final judgment. In City of Atlanta v. First Methodist Church, 83 Ga. 448, 450 (
To fortify our present ruling that an interlocutory judgment granting or denying an injunction if unexcepted to is not the law of the case other than as to whether or not an interlocutory injunction should be granted, we quote from the decision in Atlanta Trust &c. Co. v. Nelms, 119 Ga. 630, supra, as follows: “A judgment of a trial court refusing an injunction, when the same depends entirely upon a question of law, is upon its affirmance by the Supreme Court, while not a final judgment in the case, a final adjudication of such question . . . This rule is however, not applicable unless the judgment is based entirely upon a question of law.” (Italics ours.) We believe the description of an interlocutory judgment in First Nat. Bank of Dublin v. Colonial Fire Underwriters’ Ins. Co., 160 Ga. 166, supra, (headnote 1c), aids greatly in understanding why such unexcepted-to interlocutory judgments are not binding on the final trial. It is there said: “A judgment to be the basis of res adjudicata must be final in its nature; and the order appointing a
Although obviously obiter dicta, it was said in Sumner v. Sumner, 121 Ga. 1 (7) (
There are a number of reasons why the statements above quoted from Sumner v. Sumner are not binding here. First of all, the opinion shows that this court was not dealing with an interlocutory judgment based upon law, and it ruled that the judgment there under consideration was not res adjudicata because it was not pleaded and was also based upon facts. Secondly, the opinion does not have the concurrence of all the justices, Cobb, J., being disqualified. And thirdly, the jurisdiction on the interlocutory hearing was limited to the interlocutory matter stated in the rule to show cause; and had the judgment recited that it was permanently adjudicating the rights of the parties on the matter of alimony, the permanent feature would have been shown on the face of the record to be void for want of jurisdiction.
So it is with a temporary (not permanent) injunction. The very order for the hearing confines the case to be decided exclusively to a temporary, not permanent or final judgment, not as to what the rights of the parties shall be when duly tried, but solely as to whether or not the status of the parties will be ordered until a trial of their rights can be had. On that hearing
Counsel for the plaintiff in error strongly rely upon Sandersville R. Co. v. Gilmore, 212 Ga. 481 (
Therefore, we disapprove the ruling in Sandersville R. Co. v. Gilmore, 212 Ga. 481, supra, that the interlocutory judgment denying an injunction, unexcepted to becomes res adjudicata, controlling on the final trial. Affirmance by the Supreme Court is
This case demonstrates the wisdom in the rule as repeatedly held by this court. This record contains 38 pages consisting entirely of evidence on the interlocutory hearing and an opinion written by the judge in which numerous conclusions are reached by him. And while the judge who presided on the¡ final trial approved the bill of exceptions containing that evidence, he did not preside at the interlocutory hearing, and the judge who did preside has not approved the evidence. The questions urged would require this court to compare the interlocutory evidence as thus approved with the brief of evidence introduced upon the final trial. Absence of the rule would impose this burden and require consideration of evidence which the judge who heard it has not approved.
The contention of the plaintiff in error, that he is entitled to reform his deed because of mutual mistake, is without any merit whatever, since it is shown that the intervenor acquired her title subsequently to that deed and is an innocent purchaser without notice of such mistake. Code § 37-111; Boardman v. Taylor, 66 Ga. 638; Kilpatrick v. Strozier, 67 Ga. 247; Spinks v. Glenn, 67 Ga. 744; Williams v. Smith, 128 Ga. 306 (
There is evidence by Cox that Zucker on different occasions orally consented to his use of the driveway. But there is not a scintilla of evidence that Mrs. Robertson, the owner of an undivided one-half interest in the Zucker land and the Zucker interest in the driveway, ever consented or even mentioned such use by Cox. In addition, a mere parol license is revocable at will if the licensee has not incurred expenses in executing it. Code § 85-1404. The mere fact that a licensee erects improvements upon his own land and thereby incurs expense in the expectation of enjoying the license would not be such expenditure as would make the licensee a purchaser for value and the license irrevocable. 86 C. J. S. 515, § 108; Sewell v. Holland, 61 Ga. 608; Fluker v. Georgia R. & Bkg. Co., 81 Ga. 461 (
The contentions of the plaintiff in error that he had acquired a prescriptive right to use the driveway in question for ingress and egress to and from his building at the end thereof fails for the following reasons: Use alone is insufficient to acquire prescriptive title. It must be kept open and in repair for seven years. First Christian Church at Macon v. Realty Inv. Co., 180 Ga. 35 (
It is contended that Mrs. Robertson, as intervenor, takes the case as she finds it, and if the main case fails she must suffer a like fate. This contention is based upon Atlanta & C. Ry. Co. v. Carolina Portland Cement Co., 140 Ga. 650 (
“A tenancy in common may exist in every species of property, real, personal, or mixed, corporeal or incorporeal.”
What more convincing law could be cited to support our ruling here? Here, as in the Settle case, tenants in common sued; and here, as there, the evidence showed they had a good case; but here, as there, the evidence showed some plaintiffs not entitled to recover, not because any of them lacked originally a lawful title, but solely because of an equitable bar. There, statute of limitations; here, estoppel; but in both cases some plaintiffs were not barred, and the ruling there, allowing such plaintiffs to recover, demands a ruling here that the plaintiff, Mrs. Robertson, who is clearly not barred, be allowed the relief sought. The decisions in Atlanta & C. Ry. Co. v. Carolina Portland Cement Co., 140 Ga. 650, supra, Smith v. Manning, 155 Ga. 209, supra, and also Merritt v. Georgia Chemical Works, 170 Ga. 153 (
The intervention is to the petition what a trailer is to the truck
While the evidence is enough to make an issue of fact as to whether or not Zuclcer is estopped — and.it was error to direct a verdict in favor of Zuclcer, and this requires a reversal as to Zucker; yet the evidence demanded the verdict in favor of Mrs. Robertson, the intervenor, and the direction of a verdict for her is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Concurrence Opinion
concurring specially. A tenant in common may maintain an action in ejectment for the recovery of land, or for damages, without joining the cotenants, but the judgment shall not affect cotenants who are not parties. Code § 33-103.' A tenant in common may enjoin recurring trespasses without joining his cotenants. Camp v. Garbutt Lumber Co., 129 Ga. 411 (
In the present case the intervention of Mrs. Robertson was duly allowed (without objection), and she became a party plaintiff. The common-law rule, that all plaintiffs must recover or none can, does not prevail in an equitable action pertaining to land. Rumph v. Truelove, 66 Ga. 480 (2); Milner v. Vandivere, 86 Ga. 540 (
The rulings stated in Smith v. Manning, 155 Ga. 209 (
There was no evidence that Mrs. Robertson had participated in any act that would bar her rights, and since the common-law rule, that all plaintiffs must recover or none can, does not apply in this case (see Milner v. Vandivere, 86 Ga. 540, supra), the directed verdict was proper as to her.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. I dissent from the rulings in headnotes 2, 3, and 4 and the corresponding divisions of the opinion and from the judgment of affirmance.
Zucker, by his equitable petition, alleging himself to be the owner of a described tract of land, sought to restrain Cox from using the driveway between his property and that of Cox as a means of access to a loading platform of a warehouse of Cox, located at the east end of the driveway. Ten months after Zucker filed his petition, Mrs. Bobbie C. Robertson filed her petition for intervention in the case, in which she alleged that “inadvertently she was not named as a party plaintiff in said proceedings, even though she is a tenant in common with the said John Edmund Zucker in the real property” described in the petition, she having acquired a one-half undivided interest in the property on July 5, 1947. She adopted “the allegations set forth in the original petition the same as if she had been a party when the same was filed . . . and seeks the same relief against the defendant as if prayed for in the original petition.” She prayed for no separate or independent relief. The intervention was filed by the same attorneys who represented Zucker. Subsequently, an amendment to the petition was filed jointly in the names of both parties. At the trial of the case, on the issue of whether the plaintiff Zucker was entitled to a permanent injunction, a joint verdict was directed in favor of the plaintiffs and a decree was entered upon this verdict.
From the time Mrs. Robertson came into the case, she has been referred to and treated as an intervenor. The majority so treat her. She sought no relief other than that sought by Zucker, and adopted the allegations and the prayers of Zucker’s petition. Her right to any relief was dependent upon Zucker’s right. This court has repeatedly held that an intervenor in an equity suit takes the case as he finds it and cannot establish equities in his own behalf by intervention where the original petition in the case in which he intervenes does not allege an equitable cause of action. Smith v. Manning, 155 Ga. 209(4) (
Even if it be assumed that Mrs. Robertson occupies the status of a coplaintiff, if Zucker cannot prevail, then neither can she for the reason that she is a tenant in common with Zucker, and when she came into the case the action became a joint one. One of them not being entitled to recover, a verdict for both parties would be contrary to law. DeVaughn v. McLeroy, 82 Ga. 687 (6) (
Lead Opinion
In the fear that some few lawyers might possibly be misled by some of the positions taken in the motion, we feel that they should be exposed to legal tests here to insure against anyone’s being misled thereby in the future.
1. This record shows a verdict of the jury in favor of both plaintiffs and this movant assailed it because it was directed by the court. To uphold a directed verdict, it is necessary to find that the evidence demanded it. If rendered without direction, it must be upheld if there is any evidence to support it. We have held that the evidence demanded the verdict in favor of plaintiff Robertson. The motion attacks this ruling, not because it was neither authorized nor demanded by the evidence, but because of the heretofore unheard of reason that there was no motion for a directed verdict in favor of this plaintiff. There simply does not exist any law requiring a motion therefor in order for a directed verdict to be valid. We have the verdict, and it stands as a verdict irrespective of whether or not it was moved for, was directed, or was not directed.
2. Ground 2 of the motion complains because our opinion overlooked, failed to apply, overrule, distinguish, or even discuss Rome Gas-Light Co. v. Meyerhardt, 61 Ga. 287, Calhoun v. Osburn, 186 Ga. 569 (
3. Ground 3 obviously misconstrues the decisions in Jones v. Lanier Development Co., 188 Ga. 141 (
The further argument on prescription ignores the facts in the case and warrants no discussion by us.
The motion is denied.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting addendum. The foregoing dissent was written and filed to the original opinion of the majority. On the hearing of the plaintiff’s motion for a rehearing, the original opinion was revised as to one division (division 5), and the judgment of this court was changed from one of affirmance in toto to a judgment affirming in part and reversing in part the judgment of the trial court. The revised opinion holds that the verdict directed in favor of the intervenor is affirmed and the direction of a verdict in favor of Zucker is reversed. I now dissent from the ruling in headnote 5 and the corresponding division of the opinion, and from the judgment affirming the order directing a verdict in favor of the intervenor.
The reasons for my dissent from the original opinion of the majority are still applicable to the revised opinion. I now dissent for the additional reason that the record before the court shows that the plaintiff Zucker only made a motion for a directed verdict, and the trial court, apparently on the theory that what Zucker'would be entitled to the intervenor would share as a joint party plaintiff, directed a verdict for both parties. The result is that it is now held that Zucker was not entitled to the grant of his motion, but that the intervenor is to receive the full benefit of a motion to which she was not a party.
