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Official Code of Georgia Annotated

Title 40. MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC · Chapter 12. ACTIONS AGAINST NONRESIDENT MOTORISTS

40-12-3. Venue of actions against nonresidents; nonresident joint defendant.

Active

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

  1. All actions brought under this chapter relating to the use of the highways of this state by nonresident motorists shall be brought in the county in which the accident or injury occurred or the cause of action originated, or in the county of the residence of the plaintiff, as the plaintiff in such action may elect, if the plaintiff in such action is a resident of the State of Georgia; and, if the plaintiff in such action is a nonresident of the State of Georgia, the action shall be brought in the county in this state in which the accident or injury occurred or the cause of action originated; and the courts in such counties having jurisdiction of tort actions shall have jurisdiction of all such nonresident users in actions arising under this chapter. Where an action for damages is brought against a resident of this state, any nonresident involved in the same accident or collision and who is suable under this chapter may be joined as a defendant in the county wherein the resident defendant is suable, and the jurisdiction of the court of and over such nonresident joint defendant shall not be affected or lost by reason of the fact that the jury returns a verdict in favor of such resident joint defendant although the accident, injury, or cause of action did not originate in the county wherein the action is brought.

The notes below are printed with the section but are not enacted law (O.C.G.A. § 1-1-1(c)). They are shown apart from the text.

History

Ga. L. 1937, p. 732, § 3; Ga. L. 1947, p. 305, § 2; Ga. L. 1955, p. 650, § 1; Ga. L. 1959, p. 120, § 1.

Law reviews

For article discussing aspects of third party practice (impleader) under the Georgia Civil Practice Act, see 4 Ga. St. B.J. 355 (1968). For article summarizing law relating to jurisdiction and venue over domestic and foreign corporations in Georgia, and service therein, see 21 Mercer L. Rev. 457 (1970). For article, ‘‘Foreign Corporations in Georgia,’’ see 10 Ga. St. B.J. 243 (1973). For article surveying trial practice and procedure, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 299 (1982). For note discussing problems with venue in Georgia, and proposing statutory revisions to improve the resolution of venue questions, see 9 Ga. St. B.J. 254 (1972). For comment on World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 100 S. Ct. 559, 62 L. Ed. 2d 490 (1980) and Rush v. Savchuk, 444 U.S. 320, 100 S. Ct. 571, 62 L. Ed. 2d 516 (1980), regarding minimum contacts and state jurisdiction, see 15 Ga. L. Rev. 19 (1980). For comment, ‘‘Jurisdiction over Nonresidents in Georgia: Crowder v. Ginn,’’ see 17 Ga. L. Rev. 201 (1982).

Read the official page (the state's PDF, opened at the page this text was read from).

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Text read from t40-ch6-16-(v29)-2018-pdf.pdf, Volume V29, 2018 edition, pages 615 to 616; merge action: carried; file SHA-256 82c1b132c971.

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O.C.G.A. § 40-12-3. Venue of actions against nonresidents; nonresident joint defendant. | Georgia Commons