---
title: O.C.G.A. § 9-2-44. Effect of former recovery; pendency of former action.
collection: code
id: 9-2-44
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 9-2-44 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-2-44
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-2-44.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-2-44/text
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date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CIVIL PRACTICE / ACTIONS GENERALLY / ABATEMENT
---

# O.C.G.A. § 9-2-44. Effect of former recovery; pendency of former action.

(a) A former recovery or the pendency of a former action for the same cause of action between the same parties in the same or any other court having jurisdiction shall be a good cause of abatement. However, if the first action is so defective that no recovery can possibly be had, the pendency of a former action shall not abate the latter.

(b) Parol evidence shall be admissible to show that a matter apparently covered by the judgment was not passed upon by the court.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, §§ 2838, 2839, 3407; Code 1868, §§ 2846, 2847, 3426; Code 1873, §§ 2897, 2898, 3476; Code 1882, §§ 2897, 2898, 3476; Civil Code 1895, §§ 3741, 3743, 3476; Civil Code 1910, §§ 4335, 4337, 5678; Code 1933, §§ 3-607, 3-608; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 9.

## Cross References

Pendency of former action defense to latter on same cause, § 9-2-5.

## Law Reviews

For note, “Res Judicata in the Georgia Courts,” see 11 Ga. L. Rev. 929 (1977).

For survey article on domestic relations, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 113 (1982).

For article, “Defending the Lawsuit: A First-Round Checklist,” see 22 Ga. St. B.J. 24 (1985).