124 Ga. App. 444 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1971
Lead Opinion
Terry R. Wilson brought a John Doe complaint under Georgia Insurance Code § 56-407A (Code Ann. § 56-407.1), as amended, relating to actions concerning uninsured motorists, alleging that the defendant was unknown and perfecting service upon his insurance carrier, the appellant, Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York. The insurance company answered, setting up as a first defense that the "defendant” motorist was known and a John Doe action would not lie. The second defense was to the merits of the action. The insurer also made a motion for summary judgment on the grounds (1) there was no genuine issue of material fact and the movant was entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law, and (2) that no verdict or judgment could be rendered in the action as brought, as the operator of the other vehicle "is a known person and not an unknown, uninsured motorist.” No materials or evidence were adduced as to Ground 1 showing there was no
There is nothing in the materials presented or the affidavit of complainant’s attorney which would indicate or show in any way that the other motorist involved in the collision was unknown. This affidavit contains other conclusions, such as that there was no such license tag, as shown on the police report, issued in either Georgia or Kentucky, nor do the statements in his affidavit that he believes the driver of the automobile was not Harley Willis Ford constitute any proof of that fact. See Varnadoe v. State Farm. Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 112 Ga. App. 366 (1) (145 SE2d 104); Planter’s Rural Telephone Co-op. v. Chance, 108 Ga. App. 146 (132 SE2d 90); Cochran v. Southern Business University, 110 Ga. App. 666 (2) (139 SE2d 400). "A motorist whose identity is known does not become an 'unknown’ motorist under the above statute merely because his whereabouts is unknown.” Quattlebaum v. Allstate Ins. Co., 119 Ga. App. 791 (2) (168 SE2d 596).
We accordingly must hold that the insurer was entitled to a summary judgment, not on the merits of the action, but on the propriety of the type of action brought and that such action should be dismissed. Whether or not the complainant can re-bring his action at this time as against a known uninsured motorist, and whether, if he rebrings it, he may serve the other motorist by publication under Section 4 of the Civil Practice Act (Ga. L. 1966, pp. 609, 610; Ga. L. 1967, pp. 226, 227; Code Ann. § 81A-104) we do not decide.
Judgment reversed. Bell, C. J., Jordan, P. J., Eberhardt, Quillian, and Whitman, JJ., concur.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. The only question here is whether, on motion for summary judgment, the evidence conclusively demands a finding that the identity of the driver of the automobile which collided with plaintiff’s is known. The burden is of course on the movant to eliminate every material issue of fact in this regard. Herrington v. Stone Mtn. &c. Assn., 119 Ga. App. 658 (168 SE2d 633). This cannot be accomplished by evidence which constitutes an opinion or a conclusion. Waldrop v. Padgett, 121 Ga. App. 313 (173 SE2d 457); Chandler v. Gately, 119 Ga. App. 513 (167 SE2d 697). The construction of evidence is strict as to the movant, indulgent as to the opposing party.
Is the alleged tortfeasor in fact a person named Harley Willis Ford or is he an unknown person? He was interviewed by the investigating policeman and gave him that name plus an address and a Kentucky driver’s license, and the officer also took down the car license. The address is fictitious; the car license number is fictitious, and no person by that name could be found for service in the city where the address was given. Neither side offers evidence as to the driver’s license. A telephone number in the accident report led to a statement by an unknown person that a person by the name of Harley Willis Ford resided in another city, but an attempt at service based on this information failed to reveal any such person.
The officer’s affidavit stating he "determined” the driver to be Harley Willis Ford is thus shown to be a conclusion based on erroneous information given by the person denominating himself Harley Willis Ford and on no other facts. The affidavit of plaintiff’s attorney that the person in question is not Harley Willis Ford is
State Farm. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Godfrey, 120 Ga. App. 560 (171 SE2d 735), does not involve identity. There, the identity of Hall, the alleged tortfeasor, was known and there was evidence that Hall pleaded guilty to a traffic offense in connection with the collision giving rise to the action. The issue was not the existence of a person of the name alleged, but whether that person was in fact involved in the collision, and his admission of guilt was sufficient to establish his connection with the case.
I would affirm the denial of summary judgment.
I am authorized to state that Judge Evans concurs in this dissent.
Concurrence Opinion
concurring specially. In my opinion, this case is controlled by State Farm, Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Godfrey, 120 Ga. App. 560 (171 SE2d 735), certiorari denied, 120 Ga. App. 887 (whole court case with Judges Pannell and Whitman dissenting). This court held that a suit under the Uninsured Motorists’ Act against John Doe would not lie for the reason that the defendant' insurer established on motion for summary judgment "the identity of the owner and operator, and the plaintiff offered no probative evidence to rebut that presented by the insurer.”
