A verdict may be amended in mere matter of form after the jury has dispersed. However, after a verdict has been received and recorded and the jury has dispersed, it may not be amended in matter of substance either by what the jurors say they intended to find or otherwise.
§ 9-12-7.Amendment of verdict — After dispersal of jury
Chapter 12. Verdict and Judgment · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 1933 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 9-12-7 allows a verdict to be amended in matters of form after the jury disperses but bars any substantive amendment once the verdict is received, recorded, and the jury has dispersed, even based on jurors' own statements about their intent.
Full Text of § 9-12-7
Plain-English Summary
Once a jury delivers its verdict and disperses, the door does not close entirely — but it closes most of the way. This section still allows a verdict to be amended in mere matter of form after dispersal, cleaning up wording or format without touching what the jury decided.
What the section forecloses is any change in matter of substance once the verdict has been received, recorded, and the jury has dispersed. It closes that door firmly enough to block even the jurors' own later statements about what they meant to find — testimony about intent cannot reopen a substantive question the verdict has already settled.
The line the statute draws — form yes, substance no — reflects the practical reality that a dispersed jury cannot be reconvened to deliberate again. Treating the recorded verdict as fixed on matters of substance protects the finality of what the jury already decided, while still leaving room to fix the way that decision was written down.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of verdict change remains available after the jury disperses?
Only a change in mere matter of form.
Can a court change the substance of a verdict once the jury has dispersed?
No. Once the verdict has been received, recorded, and the jury has dispersed, substantive amendment is barred.
Can jurors' own statements about their intent justify a substantive change?
No. The statute expressly rejects that route, barring amendment “either by what the jurors say they intended to find or otherwise.”
Why does the law cut off substantive amendment at dispersal?
Because once the jury disperses there's no way to have it reconsider its deliberations, so preserving the recorded verdict protects finality.
Does this section eliminate all corrections to a verdict after dispersal?
No. Formal, non-substantive corrections remain possible; only substantive changes are barred.
Amendment History
Orig. Code 1863, § 3422; Code 1868, § 3442; Code 1873, § 3492; Code 1882, § 3492; Civil Code 1895, § 5111; Civil Code 1910, § 5695; Code 1933, § 110-111.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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