2021 Georgia Code
Title 9 - Civil Practice
Chapter 12 - Verdict and Judgment
Article 4 - Judgment Liens
§ 9-12-87. Judgments From Same Term Considered of Equal Date

1. All judgments signed on verdicts rendered at the same term of court shall be considered, held, and taken to be of equal date.
2. In the case of judgments signed on verdicts rendered at the same term of the court, no execution shall be entitled to any preference by reason of being first placed in the hands of the levying officer.

(Laws 1822, Cobb's 1851 Digest, p. 497; Code 1863, § 3497; Code 1868, § 3520; Code 1873, § 3578; Code 1882, § 3578; Civil Code 1895, § 5349; Civil Code 1910, § 5944; Code 1933, §§ 39-112, 110-505.)

- For note discussing procedures required to effect a levy of execution, see 12 Ga. L. Rev. 814 (1978).

Effect of O.C.G.A. § 9-12-86 is not to repeal O.C.G.A. § 9-12-87 or O.C.G.A. § 9-12-80. While it is true that § 9-12-86 as amended provides that all laws or parts of laws in conflict are repealed, there is no conflict which requires a repeal. National Bank v. Morris-Weathers Co., 248 Ga. 798, 286 S.E.2d 17 (1982).

Verdict is the response of the jury to the charge and to the issue formed upon it. Lawson v. State, 52 Ga. App. 181, 182 S.E. 820 (1935).

In every verdict there must be a reference to the indictment and the issue to make it have any meaning. Lawson v. State, 52 Ga. App. 181, 182 S.E. 820 (1935).

All judgments entered on verdicts rendered at the same term of court were deemed of equal date and, as between liens of judgments rendered at different terms upon property of the defendant, the senior judgment had priority, though the execution issued upon the younger judgment may have been duly entered on the general execution docket as provided for in former Code 1933, § 39-701 (see now O.C.G.A. § 9-12-81) and no execution had been issued upon the older judgment. Eads v. Southern Sur. Co., 178 Ga. 348, 173 S.E. 163 (1934); Fas-Pac, Inc. v. Fillingame, 123 Ga. App. 203, 180 S.E.2d 243 (1971); Wellington v. Lenkerd Co., 157 Ga. App. 755, 278 S.E.2d 458 (1981).

- In determining the priority of liens, the federal bankruptcy court applied federal law to determine that the Internal Revenue Service claim had priority over two liens not determined or recorded prior to the recordation of the notice of the IRS tax lien with the result that these creditors received none of the funds to which the IRS was entitled; then the court applied state law by creating a fund equal to the amount of the claim of two other creditors which were superior to the IRS tax lien and distributed the fund pro rata among the four creditors since the four judgments were rendered during the same term of court and were thus of equal date and priority. Ragsdale v. Blaw Knox Corp. (In re Hydro-Chem Processing, Inc.), 190 Bankr. 129 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. 1995).

- Creditor's preexisting judicial lien on bankrupt debtor's personal property had priority over the debtor's hypothetical lien because the creditor's lien attached when the lien was registered in federal court in the state, which was well before the debtor's hypothetical lien was created as of the date of the bankruptcy petition. Natl Serv. Direct, Inc. v. Anderson (In re Nat'l Serv. Direct, Inc.), Bankr. (Bankr. N.D. Ga. Jan. 28, 2005).

- Georgia Supreme Court held that under Georgia law, as between the judgment creditor and judgment debtor, a lien on the title to real property is not created until the judgment is recorded, that the date of that lien is the date of recording, and the date of the lien does not relate back to the date the judgment was entered. Synovus Bank v. Kelley, 309 Ga. 654, 847 S.E.2d 592 (2020).

Cited in Kirsch v. Witt, 37 Ga. App. 402, 140 S.E. 511 (1927); Herndon v. Braddy, 39 Ga. App. 165, 146 S.E. 495 (1929); Lawson v. State, 52 Ga. App. 181, 182 S.E. 820 (1935); White v. Georgia Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co., 234 Ga. 186, 215 S.E.2d 240 (1975).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

C.J.S.

- 49 C.J.S., Judgments, § 797 et seq.

- Priority of judgment over conveyance made after beginning of term but prior to rendition of judgment, 5 A.L.R. 1072.

Priority as between judgments of different dates as regards lien on subsequently acquired property, 67 A.L.R. 1301.

Validity, construction, and application of statute or ordinance requiring that judgments against municipality be paid in order of their entry or in other particular sequence, 138 A.L.R. 1303.