Appeals

Georgia Court of Appeals Grants Petitions for Interlocutory Appeal to Two Cases Handled by FMG Tort and Appellate Teams

Friendship Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Elevation Chophouse v. Hasty, (Ga. Ct. App.).  The Georgia Court of Appeals recently granted a petition for interlocutory review filed by Atlanta Partners Wayne Melnick, Michael Freed, and Wes Jackson, of…

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Friendship Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Elevation Chophouse v. Hasty, (Ga. Ct. App.).  The Georgia Court of Appeals recently granted a petition for interlocutory review filed by Atlanta Partners Wayne Melnick, Michael Freed, and Wes Jackson, of the trial court’s denial of a motion for summary judgment.  The appeal involves important issues bearing on respondeat superior liability and its interplay with the premises liability standard when an employee’s allegedly tortious actions were outside the course and scope of his employment.

Deaton Holdings, Inc. v. Reid, Case No. A23A0005 (Ga. Ct. App.).  The Court of Appeals of Georgia recently granted a petition for interlocutory review filed by Atlanta Attorneys Wayne Melnick, Michael Freed, and Eric Retter in case presenting an issue of first impression.  That issue is whether the defendant in a single defendant tort case can require the joinder of other potentially responsible nonparties.  The appeal was necessitated by the Georgia Supreme Court’s holding in Alston & Bird v. Hatcher, that nonparty apportionment of fault is unavailable in single-defendant cases.  As a result, appellants argue, potentially responsible nonparties are necessary and indispensable under Georgia law, and must be joined as defendants.  The Court of Appeals will hear oral argument in December 2022.

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