Milton just won a round in a $35M case

Top of Mind

One of the biggest financial threats in Milton's recent history just eased — and most residents probably never knew it was looming. In a divided ruling that drew little local notice, the Georgia Supreme Court sided with the city this spring in a long-running, multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Here's what happened, and what's still at stake.

How we got here. In 2016, Joshua Chang, a 21-year-old college student, died after his car left Batesville Road, slid more than 60 feet, flipped, and struck a concrete planter that sat more than six feet off the pavement. In 2023, a Fulton County jury found the City of Milton liable for his death on two grounds — negligence and "nuisance" — and awarded $35 million, reduced 7% for Chang's own share of fault. The Court of Appeals upheld it in 2024. And because the city says it carried just $2 million in insurance for a claim like this, a verdict that size could have overwhelmed Milton's budget — and, ultimately, fallen to residents.

The turn. On March 12, in a 5–2 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court vacated that judgment and sent the case back. The majority held that a city's legal duty to keep roads safe applies to the lanes meant for ordinary travel — not to objects off the road, like the planter Chang's car reached only after leaving the pavement. (Two justices dissented, arguing the duty should extend to the roadside, where the public still has a right to be.) More than 50 Georgia cities had backed Milton, warning the original verdict would expose them to liability for nearly anything in a road's right-of-way. The city called the outcome "highly favorable to Milton's residents and taxpayers."

But it's not over. The Court narrowed the case rather than ending it, leaving two big questions for the lower court: the separate nuisance claim — an independent basis for the jury's verdict — and whether the city's insurance changes what, if anything, it owes. So while the March ruling improved Milton's position, the case is far from won — the surviving nuisance claim could still carry the full verdict.

One reason you may not have heard any of this: the city's own public Q&A on the case still predates the ruling. We'll keep watching it.

Sources: Georgia Supreme Court opinion · Appen Media · City of Milton

Last Call: Ask the HD47 Candidates

One thing that closes today: if there's something you want to know before the June 16 Republican runoff for Georgia House District 47 — the Milton-area seat Jan Jones is leaving open — this is your last chance to help set the questions. We're collecting reader questions for both candidates, Jack Miller and Brian Cochran, then putting the strongest ones to each of them and running their answers side by side before you vote. No spin from us — same questions, both candidates.

Submissions close at 5 p.m. ET today. Add yours at readroundabout.com/voter-guide/2026/hd47.

The Drive

It's shaping up to be a summer of orange cones. A few stretches to plan around:

Hopewell Road — crews began a "full-depth reclamation" between Birmingham and Hamby this week, grinding the pavement down to a dirt base and rebuilding it sturdier. Fresh asphalt is expected early next week, weather permitting; until then, flaggers and pilot trucks run one direction at a time, so expect real delays. Thompson Road (to just south of Tabbystone Pass) is next, with neighborhood repaving to follow this summer.

Freemanville Road — the long one: closed at the Cooper Sandy Creek bridge since late May while GDOT replaces the 1960 span, and it'll stay shut about five months, into the fall. It's a main north–south route, so give yourself detour time — and note Landrum Road, the gravel connector to Birmingham Highway, is closed to cut-through traffic too (residents still get in), so it's not a shortcut.

Mid-Broadwell Road — closed since late May, too. It's technically a City of Alpharetta project, but it sits right on the Milton line and ties up the same side of town, so if it's part of your route, plan around it as well.

Sources: City of Milton; GDOT; City of Alpharetta.

Have Your Say

Milton is in line for a $200,000 state grant to upgrade Birmingham Park — and before the money flows, the city wants to hear from residents. The plan: a new prefabricated restroom, rerouting two trail segments to make them safer, replacing a small bridge, and adding parking (including two ADA-accessible spaces). The grant, from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, would cover about half the project's cost.

Public input is open for the next few weeks at miltonga.gov/BirminghamParkProject — the form takes just a few minutes, and the city says it all goes to the DNR.

Source: City of Milton

At the Library

Looking for a summer boredom-buster that's free — and a little feel-good? The Milton Library hosts its Board Game Swap on Saturday, June 6, starting at 10 a.m. Think "Little Library," but for board games: anyone can take one home, free.

Like any swap, the selection depends on what neighbors drop off first. Bring your new or gently-used games to the library anytime its doors are open between now and Friday evening. (Consider it the warm-weather sequel to the branch's Puzzle Exchange last winter.)

One note: the Milton Library is part of the Fulton County Library System, not the City of Milton — but it's a cornerstone of the community, and we're always glad to spotlight the small, clever ideas that bring people together.

One More Thing

To take into the weekend on a lighter note: Six Bridges Brewing in Crabapple has live music on the patio this Friday, June 5, 6–9 p.m., with Layne Denton on the bill. It's at 1850 Heritage Walk — an easy way to kick things off.