The case involved a mortgage foreclosure on Ron Carbo's home, after which Federal National Mortgage Association purchased the property at auction in 2010 and sued in county court for eviction and back rent. The Association sold the property in 2012 and years later sought to substitute the new owner as plaintiff, but the county court denied the motion and dismissed the suit for lack of standing; the circuit court affirmed. On appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the Association lacked standing after selling the property and that a 2015 agreed dismissal with prejudice of an identical suit by the Association barred the current action under res judicata.
The case involved wrongful death claims brought by Oliver Miller on behalf of Shannon Reed's beneficiaries against Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, United Emergency Services of Mississippi, and Dr. Keith McCoy, alleging medical negligence in the emergency room treatment of Reed's chest pain symptoms that led to his death shortly after discharge. The defendants moved for summary judgment on grounds that the claims failed for lack of causation, but the trial court denied the motions, finding triable issues of fact. On interlocutory appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the denial in part, reversed and rendered in part, and remanded, holding that Miller presented competent expert evidence creating genuine issues of material fact on causation for claims involving monitoring, EKG interpretation, Troponin testing, pain reporting, and discharge instructions, but that claims based on failure to admit Reed lacked causation because the on-call cardiologists would not have approved admission. The court reasoned that expert testimony established a reasonable probability of survival but for the alleged breaches, except as to admission, and that proximate cause questions are for the jury when reasonable minds could differ.
In Vern Gavin v. Wanda Evers, the case involved an election contest following Wanda Evers's victory over incumbent Vern Gavin in the 2023 Hinds County Supervisor District 4 Democratic primary runoff. Gavin challenged Evers's residency qualification under Mississippi law and alleged various election day irregularities that he claimed made it impossible to determine the true will of the voters. The circuit court granted summary judgment on the irregularities claim and dismissed the residency claim, and the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed these rulings. The court reasoned that Gavin failed to show irregularities affecting the election outcome, his residency challenge was untimely, and his motion for reconsideration did not present new evidence warranting a different result.
Jessica Johnson sued Evan Unruh for negligence from a 2017 motor vehicle collision, filing her complaint one day before the three-year statute of limitations expired. She failed to serve Unruh within the 120-day period under Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 4(h) and moved for an extension on day 121 without showing good cause for the delay. The trial court granted the extension and denied Unruh's motions to dismiss for insufficient service of process. On interlocutory appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed and rendered, ruling that the absence of good cause made the extension invalid, so service was untimely and the statute of limitations had run, requiring dismissal with prejudice.
The case involved Marcus Robinson, who was convicted by a Yalobusha County jury of aggravated assault after severely beating his elderly, disabled roommate Steven Shaw, leaving him with life-threatening injuries including multiple facial fractures. The circuit court sentenced Robinson to life imprisonment as a violent habitual offender. On appeal, Robinson argued that he was denied a fair trial due to an allegedly related juror's participation and other issues, but the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The court reasoned that the juror had no knowledge of any familial relationship, viewed the evidence impartially, and that Robinson had waived any objection by failing to raise the issue during voir dire.
The case involved Les Smith seeking an injunction and declaratory relief to prevent Elizabeth and Rebecca Brockway from installing a manufactured home on their property in the Lakewood Village Subdivision, alleging violation of restrictive covenants. The Panola County Chancery Court denied the petition, and the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed that decision. The court held that the restrictive covenants were unenforceable because the original grantor failed to sign them as required by their own terms for the covenants to run with the land. The covenants explicitly stated they would be binding from the date they were dated and signed, which did not occur.
The case involved a divorce granted by the Montgomery County Chancery Court to Alex McGee on the ground of adultery, along with the division of marital assets including his 401(k) retirement account and the award of joint legal and physical custody of the couple's three minor children. Jessica McGee appealed, contending that the property should have been divided based on the date of the parties' first marriage in 2011 rather than their remarriage in 2017, and that joint custody was improper because the chancellor overemphasized her adultery and the parents could not communicate or cooperate effectively. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's judgment, holding that marital property consists of assets acquired during the marriage and that the chancellor correctly applied the Ferguson factors without error. On custody, the Court found that the chancellor properly considered the Albright factors, did not penalize Jessica for adultery, and that evidence supported the feasibility of joint custody given the parties' testimony about their willingness to co-parent. The decision rested on substantial evidence supporting the chancellor's discretion in property classification and the best interests of the children.
The case involved Noah Kewon Bradford, who was convicted by a Madison County jury of armed robbery under Mississippi Code Section 97-3-79 for robbing a hotel front desk attendant at gunpoint. The circuit court sentenced him to fifty years in prison, with ten years suspended. On appeal, Bradford's attorney filed a Lindsey brief stating that no arguable issues for review were found after a thorough examination of the record, and Bradford did not submit a pro se brief. After reviewing the record, the Mississippi Supreme Court found no error and affirmed the judgment.
The case involved Jessica Walker, who was convicted by a jury in Newton County Circuit Court of knowingly possessing methamphetamine with a firearm enhancement after a small amount of the drug was found in her vehicle during a traffic stop. Walker, who admitted to possessing a handgun and marijuana in the car but denied knowledge of the methamphetamine, argued on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to establish constructive possession and that the trial court improperly limited evidence about her boyfriend's drug-related criminal history. The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed and rendered the conviction, holding that the State failed to present sufficient competent evidence linking Walker to the methamphetamine found between the driver's seat and center console. The core reasoning centered on the lack of proof that Walker knowingly possessed the drugs, despite her control of the vehicle and proximity to the substance.
In this case, Kemond Jones was convicted by a Warren County jury of murdering Ethan Powell by shooting him eight times following a prior dispute. Jones received a forty-year sentence with ten years suspended, and the trial court denied his post-trial motions. On appeal, Jones argued that the trial court erred by admitting improper evidence during the prosecutor's opening statement regarding his prior possession of a gun and that the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence due to conflicting eyewitness accounts. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, holding that the evidence did not unduly prejudice the jury, that a single eyewitness's testimony could support the verdict, and that the Weathersby rule did not apply because the State presented its own eyewitness testimony.
Tiffany McClure, a former probation officer, sued the Mississippi Department of Corrections for breach of contract after she responded to a call for help during 2020 riots at Parchman Penitentiary and alleged that the state failed to pay promised overtime wages, reimburse travel expenses, or transfer her unused medical leave. The Department moved to dismiss, contending that the Hinds County County Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because employment-related claims must be resolved exclusively through the Employee Appeals Board. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the county court's exercise of jurisdiction, holding that the state constitution vests original jurisdiction in the courts and that no adequate administrative remedies exist for McClure's non-grievable contract and constitutional claims.
The Estate of Christian Andreacchio petitioned the Lauderdale County Circuit Court to appoint an attorney to serve as district attorney and investigate the death of Christian Andreacchio, which authorities had ruled a suicide. The circuit court denied the petition, finding that the Estate lacked standing, and the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the denial. The Court reasoned that Mississippi's victims' rights statutes do not grant standing to the Estate because there is no ongoing investigation or prosecution, and those statutes explicitly do not allow victims to direct prosecutions. Additionally, Mississippi law does not permit private citizens to control the state's prosecutorial powers, which are reserved for elected officials like the attorney general and district attorneys.
The case involved Robert Stratton seeking to recover his 1949 truck from Jerry McKey after multiple prior lawsuits established Stratton's right to possession and damages. Stratton filed a motion to vacate a 2017 judgment and 2020 Supreme Court ruling under Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(6), citing fraud and newly discovered evidence regarding the truck's condition and sale. The circuit court denied the motion, reaffirming Stratton's entitlement to the truck and $1,350 in damages while absolving him of storage fees. The Supreme Court affirmed the denial, holding that the claims fell under other subsections of Rule 60 with time bars and that the judgment remained equitable.
The case concerned a dispute over the allocation of two large distributions received by the Crider Family Share Trust from Muskegon Energy Co. in 2021. Remainder beneficiaries Nathan Ricklin and Megan Woolwine argued that the distributions constituted a partial liquidation under Mississippi’s Principal and Income Act and should have been allocated to them rather than to income beneficiary Juliette Crider, claiming the trustee breached her fiduciary duty by allocating the funds to Crider. The Jackson County Chancery Court ruled in favor of the trustee, finding that the distributions did not meet the statutory threshold for partial liquidation. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Section 91-17-401(e) requires the partial-liquidation calculation to be performed on a post-tax basis, after which the distributions fell below the 20 percent threshold and were properly treated as income.
The case involved George Hawkins, who was convicted by a jury of sexual battery under Mississippi Code Section 97-3-95(2) for sexually penetrating a sixteen-year-old minor while in a position of trust or authority over her. Hawkins appealed his conviction, arguing that the State presented insufficient evidence of such a position because he lacked any legal authority over the child as the mother's common-law husband. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, holding that a rational jury could find Hawkins occupied a position of trust or authority based on the totality of the circumstances, including the family living arrangement, joint tax filing, claiming the children as dependents, and the child's respect for him as a parental figure. The court reasoned that no formal legal relationship was required under the statute and relied on precedent emphasizing de facto roles over strict legal definitions.
In Nathan Lollis v. State of Mississippi, the defendant was convicted by a Wilkinson County jury of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2018 shooting death of Carl Newton, whom Lollis had previously accused of shooting him. Lollis appealed the trial court's denial of his post-trial motion, raising only the issue of whether the evidence was sufficient to support the verdicts. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions, concluding that testimony from multiple witnesses about Lollis's statements of intent to have Newton killed, his solicitation of others, his coordination of events on the night of the murder, and his subsequent payments to silence witnesses provided a sufficient basis for a rational jury to find both the existence of a conspiracy and Lollis's membership in it, rendering him liable for the murder committed in furtherance of the plan.
The case involved Jackie and Debra Aycock suing the University of Mississippi Medical Center for medical negligence, claiming that injuries to Jackie's arm during jaw cancer surgery resulted from improper positioning by hospital staff. UMMC moved for summary judgment, arguing that the plaintiffs' pre-suit notice of claim had not been served on the hospital's chief executive officer as required by Mississippi Code Section 11-46-11(2)(a)(ii), so the one-year statute of limitations under Section 11-46-11(3)(a) had expired without tolling. The circuit court denied the motion after finding genuine issues of material fact, and on appeal the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed that denial, allowing the case to proceed to trial. The core reasoning focused on whether the Aycocks' service of notice on other hospital executives and the hospital's subsequent investigation and denial of the claim satisfied or excused strict compliance with the notice statute or triggered equitable doctrines such as waiver or estoppel.
The case involved former Clarksdale city commissioner Charles Moton, who alleged that his 2013 and 2015 arrests at board meetings for disorderly conduct violated his Mississippi constitutional rights to free speech, due process, and equal protection, and asserted related tort claims including malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy, and emotional distress. The trial court dismissed the suit under Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), and the Supreme Court affirmed. The court held that the Mississippi Tort Claims Act's one-year statute of limitations barred the tort claims, the general three-year statute of limitations under Mississippi Code Section 15-1-49 barred the constitutional claims, and the one-year limitations period for malicious prosecution claims had also expired, as Moton did not file until June 2021.
The case involved Matthew Wallace, who was hired by the Centreville Police Department but had not completed law enforcement certification after more than eighteen months on the job, and who faced simple assault charges from an altercation with a minor while on duty. Wallace twice sought a probable cause hearing under Mississippi Code Section 99-3-28(1)(a)(i), arguing he qualified as a law enforcement officer or trainee, but the circuit court denied the requests. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the statute's protections apply only to sworn, certified officers under Section 45-6-3 and that Wallace's status and employment duration disqualified him from trainee protections as well.
The case involved a dispute over a late payment penalty in a lease for sixteenth section school lands between the North Bolivar Consolidated School District and lessee Roosevelt Jones. After Jones paid rent late in 2019, the district assessed a fee of over $11,000, which Jones challenged in chancery court by claiming the district was estopped from enforcing the penalty due to its prior custom of accepting late payments without penalty. The chancellor denied the district's motion for summary judgment, finding insufficient evidence that the officials' prior actions were unauthorized. On interlocutory appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed and rendered judgment for the district, holding that the district's duty as trustee of the lands to collect all due funds cannot be waived by past unauthorized failures to enforce penalties, so equitable estoppel does not apply.