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Howard v. Gourmet Concepts Ntl.2/8/2000
merates as error that the trial court granted summary judgment to DeKalb County.
A county may be liable to an owner in damages to property, either real or personal, through inverse condemnation by a nuisance, created, maintained, or worsened by such county. See DeKalb County v. Orwig, 261 Ga. 137, 138 (1) (402 SE2d 513) (1991); Fulton County v. Wheaton, 252 Ga. 49, 50-51 (1) (310 SE2d 910) (1984), overruled on other grounds by DeKalb County v. Orwig, supra. The measure of damages in such cases is the same as in condemnation cases. See DeKalb County v. Orwig, supra at 138. "The reason sovereign immunity is not applicable when a nuisance amounts to a taking of property of one of its citizens for public purposes is that inverse condemnation is a form of eminent domain. Ga. Const. of 1983, Art. I, Sec. III, Par. I; Miree v. United States, 242 Ga. 126, 134 (2) (249 SE2d 573) (1978); Woodside v. Fulton County, 223 Ga. 316, 319-321 (1) (155 SE2d 404) (1967)." Fielder v. Rice Constr. Co., 239 Ga. App. 362, 364 (1) (______SE2d ____) (1999).
Personal injury , however, for purposes of inverse condemnation does not constitute personal property that can be taken. See State Board of Ed. v. Drury, 263 Ga. 429, 430-433 (1) (437 SE2d 290) (1993); DeKalb County v. Orwig, supra at 138; Wilmoth v. Henry County, 251 Ga. 643, 643-644 (1) (309 SE2d 126) (1983); Donaldson v. DOT, 212 Ga. App. 240, 242 (441 SE2d 473) (1994). Sovereign immunity bars any action for personal injury or wrongful death against a county arising from nuisance or inverse condemnation. See DeKalb County v. Orwig, supra at 138; Kordares v. Gwinnett County, 220 Ga. App. 848, 850-851 (470 SE2d 479) (1996); Canfield v. Cook County, 213 Ga. App. 625, 626 (445 SE2d 375) (1994); Christian v. Monroe County, 203 Ga. App. 342, 343 (1) (417 SE2d 37) (1992). Thus, the trial court properly granted summary judgment to DeKalb County for an alleged nuisance causing personal injuries.
4. The other enumerations of error are controlled by Divisions 1 and 3.
Judgment affirmed. Blackburn, P. J., and Barnes, J., concur.
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