44 Ga. App. 686 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1932
1. The case coming to this court upon the sustaining of a demurrer, the allegations of the stricken answer will be taken and accepted precisely as made, irrespective of any issue of fact which might arise on the trial. The defendant pleaded that he signed the indorse
2. While there is a general rule to the effect that where the parties to an agreement have equal knowledge, or where,they deal upon equal terms in a case where they have equal means of knowledge readily within the reach of both, one who fails to avail himself of the knowledge thus readily and equally ascertainable can not shut his eyes to such opportunities and choose to rely solely upon the representations of the opposite party (Ham v. Hamilton, 29 Ga. 40; Wood v. Cincinnati Safe & Look Co., 96 Ga. 120, 123, 22 S. E. 909; Howard v. Georgia Home Insurance Co., 102 Ga. 137 (2), 139, 29 S. E. 143; Hollingshead v. American National Bank, 104 Ga. 250, 30 S. E. 728; Fenley v. Moody, 104 Ga. 790, 30 S. E. 1002; Hart v. Waldo, 117 Ga. 590, 43 S. E. 998; Miller v. Roberts, 9 Ga. App. 511, 71 S. E. 927; Rutland v. Parham, 32 Ga. App. 662, 124 S. E. 355), whether the person to whom the alleged false and fraudulent representation is made is negligent is relying upon such representation is generally a question for determination by the jury. Summerour v. Pappa, 119 Ga. 1 (5) (45 S. E. 713). In the instant case the parties did not have equal means of knowledge with reference to the truth of the alleged statement of the president of the bank in charge of its business, and who represented the bank in the transaction. The case differs from that of Rutland v. Parham, supra, wherein it appeared from the evidence that the general statement by the payee of the note, who was the seller of the stock, to the surety signing the same, that the corporation was “not indebted in any substantial amount,” was made in the presence of the principal on the note, who was president of the corporation, and that the defendant surety made no inquiry of the president of the corporation, in control of the management of its business, as to the truth of such general statement as to the financial condition of the corporation., and thus failed to take advantage of an obvious, easy, and equally available means of ascertaining the truth. See, in this connection, Fenley v. Moody, supra.
3. Under the foregoing rulings, the court erred in sustaining the demurrer of the plaintiff and striking the plea of the defendant, and in thereafter entering up judgment in favor of the plaintiff.
Judgment reversed.