Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
ATLANTA WOMEN'S SPECIALISTS, LLC v. TRABUE (Five Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a medical malpractice complaint properly accused a physicians' practice of vicarious liability for a doctor's negligence even without naming that doctor as a defendant, and that a co-defendant doctor could not get the jury to apportion fault to that same doctor without first filing a formal pretrial notice.
QUYNN v. HULSEY
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's apportionment statute overrides an older Court of Appeals rule that let an employer avoid claims of negligent hiring and supervision simply by admitting it was legally responsible for its employee's actions.
State v. COPELAND (Three Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a ruling that had granted immunity from prosecution to three former Washington County sheriff's deputies charged in the death of Eurie Lee Martin, sending the cases back for a proper legal analysis.
Woods v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a DUI defendant's appeal to the Court of Appeals of Georgia, ruling it had no jurisdiction over his equal protection challenge because the court had already rejected similar arguments before.
Atkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a McDuffie County man's felony murder conviction, ruling the evidence of aggravated assault was sufficient and that the trial court properly excluded a hearsay statement and used a proper verdict form.
CRIPPEN & LAWRENCE INVESTMENT CO., INC. v. a TRACT OF LAND BEING KNOWN AS 444 LEMON STREET
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a company that bought a Marietta property at a tax sale can argue, in its own quiet title lawsuit, that the estate's executor had already agreed to pass the property to the deceased owner's daughter years earlier.
Goins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction for the second time, rejecting his renewed speedy trial claim and finding no reversible error in the trial court's handling of evidence and a mistrial request.
Gray v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a trial judge keeps the power to modify a criminal sentence under Georgia's sentence-modification law even if the judge rules after the one-year deadline, as long as the request to modify was filed within that year.
Harris v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Muscogee County man's convictions for murdering his roommate and her six-year-old son, ruling that evidence about his past conflicts with an ex-girlfriend and ex-wife was properly admitted and that his trial lawyer was not ineffective.
Henderson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that his speedy trial rights were violated and that his lawyer's mistakes entitled him to a new trial. The court also overruled a prior precedent that assumed such lawyer mistakes always cause harm.
Hill v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Otis Hill's murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping convictions in the killing of Christina Wellington and shooting of Marshall Wellington, but corrected two sentencing errors where lesser charges should have merged.
Hinkson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Columbus man's felony murder conviction in the death of his eight-month-old son, rejecting challenges to the indictment, the verdicts, his police statement, and the search that turned up a gun.
JOHNS v. SUZUKI MOTOR OF AMERICA, INC.
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's fault-apportionment law applies even to strict products liability claims, meaning an injured plaintiff's own share of fault can reduce a damages award against a manufacturer.
Jackson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chattahoochee County man's felony murder conviction in a drug deal shooting, but found his separate conviction for attempted cocaine trafficking should have merged into the murder conviction and been vacated.
Middleton v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's felony murder conviction for shooting a marijuana dealer during a drug deal, rejecting arguments about the evidence, the indictment, and a missing self-defense jury instruction.
RHODEN v. ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that all votes cast for a county commission candidate who died three days before the election were void, upholding the election of his opponent as commissioner.
Rawls v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Clayton County man's murder and feticide convictions for killing his pregnant girlfriend, finding the evidence sufficient and that trial errors, including an improper jury instruction on flight, were harmless.
Sharpe v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld David Lee Sharpe's felony murder conviction from a fatal club shooting but threw out a related theft charge, finding no evidence he knew the gun he carried was stolen.
Swann v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claim that his trial lawyer was constitutionally ineffective for not fully investigating a prior shooting or explaining parole rules tied to a plea offer.
Kemp v. Gonzalez
The Supreme Court of Georgia answered a certified question from a federal appeals court, ruling that a state law letting the Governor's appointed district attorneys serve beyond their predecessor's four-year term conflicts with the Georgia Constitution.