Summary
In Wofford, the Supreme Court found that OCGA §§ 9-2-61, 9-11-25 (a), and 9-11-41 (a) permit a plaintiff to avoid the consequences of failing to substitute a party defendant within the 180-day period of limitation by voluntarily dismissing the suit and then refiling it against the personal representative of the deceased.
Summary of this case from Union Carbide Corp. v. BrannanOpinion
33849.
ARGUED SEPTEMBER 11, 1978.
DECIDED SEPTEMBER 28, 1978. REHEARING DENIED OCTOBER 16, 1978.
Certiorari to the Court of Appeals of Georgia — 145 Ga. App. 836 ( 244 S.E.2d 899) (1978).
Lewis, Bynum Kell, T. J. Lewis, Jr., for appellant.
Palmer H. Ansley, John Stanford, Joseph Watkins, for appellees.
This court granted the application for writ of certiorari to review Divisions 1 and 3 and the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Central Mut. Ins. Co. v. Wofford, 145 Ga. App. 836 ( 244 S.E.2d 899) (1978).
1. The Court of Appeals held that a plaintiff may voluntarily dismiss his suit at any time before the verdict or the oral announcement of a judgment by the trial court, Code Ann. § 81A-141 (a), and that this right is not abridged by the filing of a motion to dismiss, based upon the plaintiff's failure to comply with Code Ann. § 81A-125 (a) (1). We agree and affirm. See Jones v. Burton, 238 Ga. 394(1) ( 233 S.E.2d 367) (1977) and Jernigan v. Collier, 234 Ga. 837 ( 218 S.E.2d 556) (1975).
2. The Court of Appeals in its Division 3 held that in order for this plaintiff to have taken advantage of Code Ann. § 3-808 and tolled the statute of limitation for six months for her renewal suit, she should have first substituted the deceased's administrator and then voluntarily dismissed. We disagree and reverse.
In construing substantially the same statute as that now found in Code Ann. § 3-808, this court in an opinion by Justice Lumpkin held that a renewal suit by an administrator of a plaintiff is the same as a renewal suit by the plaintiff. Moody v. Threlkeld, 13 Ga. 55 (5) (1853). See also Sheldon Co. v. Emory University, 184 Ga. 440 ( 191 S.E. 497) (1937); Cox v. Strickland, 120 Ga. 104 ( 47 S.E. 912) (1904). Therefore, when a plaintiff voluntarily dismisses a suit filed against a deceased defendant and renews the suit against the deceased's administrator or representative, the renewal suit may take advantage of the tolling of the statute of limitation for six months under Code Ann. § 3-808.
The Court of Appeals erred in reversing the order of the trial court.
Judgment reversed. All the Justices concur, except Hill, J., who concurs in the judgment only.