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  • Simmons v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-10-05
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Jeffrey L. Grube, Warner Robins, for appellant.
    for defendant: George H. Hartwig III, District Attorney, Daniel P. Bibler, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, Marie R. Banks, Assistant District Attorney, Perry, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, and Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0979

    The defendant admitted that he killed his aunt and

  • McBride v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-10-05
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: John C. Culp, Public Defender, Waycross, for appellant.
    for defendant: Richard E. Currie, District Attorney, Waycross, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and David A. Zisook, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0843

    Eyewitnesses identified the defendant as the gunman who fatally shot the victim from b

  • Lynch v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-09-14
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Steven L. Sparger, Savannah, for appellant.
    for defendant: Larry Chisolm, District Attorney, and Reginald C. Martin District Attorney's Office, Savannah, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Katherine R. Thrower, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A1140

    The defendant did not show harm from trial counsel's failure to object when the state's lead detective testified about a witness's hearsay statements since the witness had already explicitly testifi

  • Couch v. Red Roof Inns Inc.

    Publication Date: 2012-07-13
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Davis K. Loftin, Jeffrey N. Mykkeltvedt Mykkeltvedt & Loftin LLC, Gilbert H. Deitch and Andrew T. Rogers Deitch & Rogers LLC, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Burke B. Johnson Buckley King LPA, Gainesville, for appellees. Amicus Appellant: Charles M. Cork III, Macon. Amicus Appellee: Jacob E. Daly and Sun S. Choy Freeman, Mathis & Gary LLP, Atlanta. Neutral Amicus: Thomas A. Eaton, Michael L. Wells University of Ga. Law Sch. and Andrew J. Hill III Blasingame Burch Garrard & Ashley PC, Athens.
    Case Number: S12Q0625

    A jury is allowed to apportion damages among a property owner and criminal assailant and jury charges or a special verdict form requiring such apportionment would not violate a plaintiff's constitut

  • Moreno-Rivera v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-07-13
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Charita H. Demps, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Robert D. James Jr., District Attorney, Leonora Grant, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, Decatur, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Clint C. Malcolm, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0904

    Trial counsel was not deficient in failing to tigate the victims' prior violent acts in a malice murder case because the defendant could not give counsel any information from which to conduct a

  • Williams v. Kelley

    Publication Date: 2012-06-29
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Mary Beth Westmoreland, Deputy Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Benjamin H. Pierman, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Rodney S. Zell Zell & Zell PC, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0615

    Appellate counsel was not deficient for failing to argue on direct appeal that the trial court erred in overcharging jury on aggravated assault because the trial court cured any

  • Leibel v. Johnson

    Publication Date: 2012-06-22
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Michael J. Goldman, Christine L. Mast and Joseph H. Wieseman Hawkins, Parnell, Thackston & Young LLP, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: . Richard L. Brittain, Wendell R. Bird Bird, Loechl, Brittain & McCants, Atlanta, Jenny E. Jensen and Richard E. Harris Jones, Jensen & Harris, Norcross, for appellee.
    Case Number: S11G0557

    Expert testimony as to causation is not appropriate in a legal malpractice

  • Kendrick v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-05-04
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Noah H. Pines Ross & Pines LLC, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Paul L. Howard Jr., District Attorney, Paige R. Whitaker, Deputy District Attorney, Peggy A. Katz, Assistant District Attorney, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Benjamin H. Pierman, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0009

    The trial court did not err in denying the defendant's request to charge the jury on involuntary manslaughter as a lesser included offense of felony murder, since the defendant's admitted act of pur

  • Muhammad v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-05-04
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Charles M. Evans, Morrow, for appellant.
    for defendant: Richard R. Read, District Attorney, Roberta A. Earnhardt, Senior Assistant District Attorney, Conyers, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Katherine L. Iannuzzi, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S12A0180

    In the defendant's trial for the murder of his estranged wife, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting similar transaction evidence of the defendant's prior arson conviction for bu

  • Ridley v. State

    Publication Date: 2012-04-20
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    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Melton, Harold D.
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: John W. Kraus, Atlanta, for appellant.
    for defendant: Paul L. Howard Jr., District Attorney, Paige R. Whitaker, Deputy District Attorney, Marc A. Mallon, Senior Assistant District Attorney, Samuel S. Olens, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Benjamin H. Pierman, Assistant Attorney General, Atlanta, for appellee.
    Case Number: S11A1416

    The trial court properly admitted the defendant's custodial statements made during an investigation regarding the rape of another woman, since the defendant never unequivocally asserted his right to