The Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled that a defendant whose insurer settled with a plaintiff can’t be kept in the case in order to anchor the venue in a case with other defendants.

The unanimous opinion, authored by Judge Trenton Brown, echoed Presiding Judge Stephen Dillard’s trepidation toward the plaintiff-appellant’s position at oral argument. Though Brown did not share his personal views during questioning, Dillard remarked that he’s “not big on” policy arguments like those plaintiff-appellant counsel Charles Adams posed to the court.