DECIDED JULY 8, 1982. REHEARING DENIED JULY 22, 1982. Certiorari to the Court of Appeals of Georgia — 161 Ga. App. 560 ( 288 S.E.2d 347) (1982). Billy E. Moore, J. Sherrod Taylor, Jack T. Brinkley, Jr., Frank J. Jordan, for appellant.
(Citation and punctuation omitted.) Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Howard, 161 Ga. App. 560, 565(2) ( 288 S.E.2d 347) (1982). We note that ample evidence was presented at trial from which the jury could have concluded that Sangster's conduct in the underlying incident was reprehensible in the extreme and fully justified the award of punitive damages.
He then testified that although he was not involved in that conference, he was aware that it had taken place and that it involved the assistant superintendent Corbin. Southern later moved to strike this testimony as hearsay, but when the court offered to allow Thompson to reopen the evidence in order to present direct testimony concerning the conference, Southern argued that such testimony would be inadmissible under Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Howard, 161 Ga. App. 560 ( 288 S.E.2d 347) (1982). Thompson responded that Southern opened the door to such testimony.
Cole's counsel went on to speak of his pride in being a lawyer; that famous men such as Jefferson and Lincoln who were lawyers, and that, like Darrow, he was proud to represent laborers like his client. An examination of the entire argument reveals that it falls far short of that disapproved in Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Howard, 161 Ga. App. 560 ( 288 S.E.2d 347) (1982). Speaking, as to the footnote, only for and as the author of the opinion, and since Darrow's quote is an issue in this case, it is not inappropriate to observe that one of his most often cited and quoted quips was: "It is bigotry for public schools to teach only one view of origins."
Moreover, since the evidence was prejudicial to appellant, and we cannot say that its improper admission did not affect the jury's verdict, the case must be reversed. Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Howard, 161 Ga. App. 560 ( 288 S.E.2d 347) (1982), cert. dismissed, 249 Ga. 713 ( 293 S.E.2d 346) (1982), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___ ( 103 SC 490, 74 L.Ed.2d 633) (1982). 5.