Long Arm. Overruling an earlier case, the Court of Appeals held that the nonresident motorist act is not the exclusive basis for jurisdiction over non-resident motorists; jurisdiction is also available under the long arm act. Farrie v. McCall, 256 Ga. App. 446 (2002).
Discovery - Demonstrative Evidence. Charts used as demonstrative evidence may be used at trial even though they were not previously disclosed in response to discovery requests. Tench v. Galaxy Appliance & Furniture Sales, Inc., 255 Ga. App. 829 (2002).
Uninsured Motorist Insurance. Plaintiff must prove that the defendant driver was uninsured in order to collect UM benefits, and admissions by default against the driver do not prove uninsured status against the UM insurer. Anthony v. Larios, 256 Ga. App. 248 (2002).
Insurance Bad Faith. An insurer may be liable for refusing to respond with a counteroffer to an offer to settle within the policy limits that contained additional stipulations that the insurer could not unilaterally accept. Cotton States v. Brightman, 256 Ga. App. 451 (2002), cert. granted.
Hospital Liens. By choosing to present only wrongful death claims, plaintiffs could recover all proceeds of an insurance policy despite the existence of a valid hospital lien. Nash v. Allstate Ins. Co., 256 Ga. App. 143 (2002).
Property - Roads. Although description of property as bounded by a road owned by the grantor will give the grantee a right of access, reservation of a six inch strip between the property and the road precludes access. Harbor Co. v. Copelan, 256 Ga. App. 79 (2002).
Employment. The statute of frauds does not bar enforcement of an employment contract of indefinite duration. Parker v. Crider Poultry, 275 Ga. 361 (2002).
Arbitration. An award of an arbitrator may not be rejected simply because the arbitrator has manifestly disregarded the law. Progressive Data Systems, Inc. v. Jefferson Randolph Corp., 275 Ga. 420 (2002).
Arrest - Interpreters. Neither equal protection nor due process require police officers to read implied consent warnings to defendants at the time of arrest in anything but English. Rodriguez v. State, 275 Ga. 283 (2002); Furcal-Peguero v. State, 255 Ga. App. 729 (2002).
Criminal Venue. The Supreme Court strongly urges trial courts to instruct juries that they must find venue beyond a reasonable doubt. Lynn v. State, 275 Ga. 288 (2002).
Judicial Notice. In criminal cases, the trial court should instruct the jury that it may, but is not required to, accept as conclusive facts of which the judge has taken judicial notice. Graham v. State, 275 Ga. 290 (2002).