Georgia Supreme Court News

Ga. Supreme: Retailers Can Be Held Liable for Loads That Fall off Customers’ Vehicles

Georgia shoppers who are unable to load bulky purchases onto their vehicles by themselves might find store employees less willing to help — or at least a lot more vigilant if they do lend a hand. The Georgia Supreme Court …

COVID-19 Rulings – Mostly Insurer Wins – Moving to Appellate Courts

A wave of litigation over business-interruption losses caused by COVID-19 shutdown orders has started splashing into the appellate courts. Appeals of trial court decisions in at least 11 lawsuits have been filed so far, all but one of them by …

Georgia Court Allows Lawsuit Against Sperm Bank to Proceed

ATLANTA — A couple who accused a sperm bank of misrepresenting its process for screening donors and providing incorrect medical and educational history of the donor they selected can proceed with a lawsuit against the sperm bank, Georgia’s highest court …

After Refusing $30K Settlement Offer, Bad Faith Suit May Cost GEICO $2.7M

More than eight years after Bonnie Winslett tore up and threw away a summons that notified her she was being sued, the Georgia Supreme Court is being asked to resolve questions of law that will determine whether GEICO Indemnity Co. …

Fiat Chrysler Requests New Trial After $40M Jeep Fire Award

After a family was awarded $40 million in the death of a 4-year-old boy in a Jeep fire, Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday asked the Georgia Supreme Court for a new trial or for the award to be reduced. Remington “Remi” …

Georgia High Court Says Dog’s Worth is Market Value Plus Medical Costs

To its owner, a pet dog may be priceless – and even though Georgia’s highest court didn’t go quite that far Monday, it did say that under some circumstances, an owner whose pet is hurt or dies at the hands …

Does Policy Provision Stating the Insurer Will Not Withhold its Consent to Settle Unreasonably Vitiate the Consent to Settlement Requirement?

An interesting question recently came before the Georgia Supreme Court. In Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. v. XL Specialty Ins. Co., 771 S.E.2d 864 (Ga. 2015), the insured Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (Piedmont) had purchased and maintained two insurance …

Georgia Court Rejects Bad Faith Claim Citing Insurer’s Lack of Consent to Settlement

The Georgia Supreme Court denied an insured’s bad faith claim against its insurer for its refusal to pay a settlement because the insured settled on the amount without the consent of the insurer that was required by the policy. A …

Gunshot Claim Not Barred by Workers’ Comp Settlement: Georgia Supreme Court

A worker who unintentionally shot a co-worker can be sued in civil court since his actions were outside the scope of his normal duties and despite the fact the employer treated the shooting like a workers’ compensation claim, the Georgia …