34 Ga. App. 640 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1925
This action was filed in the superior court of Barrow county which has four regular terms of court yearly. By an act approved August 18, 1923, pending the litigation, the times for holding court were changed. See Ga. L. 1923, p. 63. This statement will obviate the confusion which might otherwise arise from the following statement as to the terms of court. The suit was filed and process was issued thereon to the September term, 1922. No service having been made in the meantime, the plaintiff’s attorney, on learning of this fact, applied to the court at the next succeeding term, being the December term, 1922, for an order to perfect service, and the judge granted an order as follows: “It being made to appear to the court that there has been no service of copy under this petition, it is thereupon ordered by the court that service of copy hereof be now made, and that the March term, 1923, be made the appearance term of this case.” It will be noticed that this order did not provide in express terms for an amendment of the process. The defendant was served on Decem
It is within the power of the judge of the superior court at the appearance term or at a subsequent term, where due diligence is shown, to grant an order allowing a. new process to issue, and directing that the defendant be served, where service has not been previously made. Rowland v. Towns, 120 Ga. 74 (2) (47 S. E. 581). In the absence of evidence showing that the plaintiff had been guilty of neglect, this court can not say that the trial judge should not have granted the order at the December term, 1922, directing that the succeeding March term, 1923, should be the appearance term, and that the defendant should be served for that term. And as to the subsequent proceedings, the plaintiff having applied at the second term for an order to perfect service, and service of a copy of the petition and the original process having
2. The second headnote requires no elaboration. See Toole v. Cook, 15 Ga. App. 133 (3) (82 S. E. 772).
Judgment affirmed on condition.