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Beasley v. Ponder

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Oct 4, 1977
143 Ga. App. 810 (Ga. Ct. App. 1977)

Opinion

54357.

SUBMITTED SEPTEMBER 14, 1977.

DECIDED OCTOBER 4, 1977. REHEARING DENIED NOVEMBER 10, 1977.

Action for damages. Thomas Superior Court. Before Judge Calhoun.

Kopp, Peavy Conner, J. Edwin Peavy, David L. Cavender, B. Benson Earle, Jr., for appellant.

Johnson Morse, Charles F. Johnson, Alexander, Vann Lilly, Frank T. Holt, for appellee.


This is an appeal from a summary judgment for the defendant in an action for fraud.

Both the plaintiff and the defendant owned stock in an office supply company. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant induced her to loan the company $10,000 by promising her that he and his father would make loans to the company in an identical amount. None of the terms of the promised loans were specified. The plaintiff further alleged that neither the defendant nor his father ever had any intention of making the loans and that their failure to do so resulted in a loss to her when the company later became insolvent.

The trial court did not err in granting summary judgment to the defendant. Although fraud can be predicated on a misrepresentation as to a future event where the defendant knows that the future event will not take place ( Hayes v. Hallmark Apts., 232 Ga. 307, 308 (1) ( 207 S.E.2d 197) (1974); Hill v. Stewart, 93 Ga. App. 792 ( 92 S.E.2d 829) (1956)), fraud cannot be predicated on a promise which is unenforceable at the time it is made. Adamson v. Maddox, 111 Ga. App. 533 (3) ( 142 S.E.2d 313) (1965); Motors Ins. Corp. v. Morgan, 117 Ga. App. 654, 656 ( 161 S.E.2d 382) (1968); Ely v. Stratoflex, Inc., 132 Ga. App. 569 (2) ( 208 S.E.2d 583) (1974). A promise to make a loan with no specification of the interest rate or maturity date is not enforceable and will not support an action for fraud. Bonner v. Wachovia Mtg. Co., 142 Ga. App. 748 (1) (1977). See also Anderson v. Hilton Dodge Lumber Co., 121 Ga. 688, 692 ( 49 S.E. 725) (1905) and Swindell Co. v. Bainbridge State Park, 3 Ga. App. 364 ( 60 S.E. 13) (1907) (holding that a loan agreement must specify a maturity date to be binding).

Judgment affirmed. Quillian, P. J., and Shulman, J., concur.

SUBMITTED SEPTEMBER 14, 1977 — DECIDED OCTOBER 4, 1977 — REHEARING DENIED NOVEMBER 10, 1977 — CERT. APPLIED FOR.


Summaries of

Beasley v. Ponder

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Oct 4, 1977
143 Ga. App. 810 (Ga. Ct. App. 1977)
Case details for

Beasley v. Ponder

Case Details

Full title:BEASLEY v. PONDER

Court:Court of Appeals of Georgia

Date published: Oct 4, 1977

Citations

143 Ga. App. 810 (Ga. Ct. App. 1977)
240 S.E.2d 111

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