In this criminal case, Jayme Lynn Tubbs was jointly tried and convicted in Quitman County Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of desecration of a human corpse after the State presented evidence that she participated in the 2019 killings of April Jones and Will Polk, whose bodies were later desecrated. The trial court denied her post-trial motions, and on appeal Tubbs challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting her murder convictions and the admissibility of a police officer's testimony recounting her confession. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions, holding that the evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and that the officer's testimony about Tubbs's out-of-court statements was not hearsay under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2)(A) because it was offered against her as a party-opponent. The court also rejected a best-evidence argument regarding the recorded interview as both procedurally barred and without merit.
The case involved Harold Walker Jr., who was convicted by a jury in Hinds County Circuit Court of first-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and felony fleeing from law enforcement based on an incident where he allegedly fired multiple shots at a van. Walker appealed on five grounds: denial of a lesser-included jury instruction for heat-of-passion manslaughter, insufficient evidence or verdict against the weight of the evidence for first-degree murder, improper admission of his post-arrest statement under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 404(b), failure to transcribe the jury instructions conference, and ineffective assistance of counsel related to the untranscribed proceedings and lack of objection to the statement. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions in full, holding that the trial court did not err in denying the manslaughter instruction or admitting the statement, the evidence was sufficient, the record was adequate for review despite missing transcripts, and counsel was not ineffective.
This case involved Terrance Watts appealing his 2023 conviction in Hinds County Circuit Court for the first-degree murder of his half-brother Yancy Williams, for which he received a life sentence. Watts challenged the sufficiency and weight of the evidence from surveillance footage and his statements, as well as two jury instructions: one on deliberate-design killing and another allowing an inference of malice aforethought from the use of a deadly weapon. The Supreme Court of Mississippi affirmed the conviction, finding the evidence adequate to support the verdict and the instructions legally proper under precedent because no proof of justification or necessity was introduced. The court noted that similar instructions have been upheld repeatedly and do not improperly comment on the evidence.
In this criminal case, Diamante Myers was convicted after a jury trial in Pearl River County Circuit Court of shooting into a dwelling under Mississippi Code Section 97-37-29 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon under Section 97-3-7(2)(a)(ii), and was sentenced as a habitual offender. Myers appealed, arguing that the trial court committed plain error by giving jury instruction S-3, which he claimed impermissibly constructively amended his indictment by using the phrase "into a dwelling house" instead of the indictment's more specific language identifying the home of Addie Bullock. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions, holding that the instruction did not constitute plain error because it accurately tracked the statutory language of "any dwelling house," which necessarily encompasses the specific dwelling named in the indictment, and did not alter the essential elements of the offense or any available defense.
The case involved Rudy Toler, who was indicted on ten felony counts after firing a handgun at four teenagers in a vehicle on Highway 90 and then firing additional shots at pursuing law enforcement officers during a chase. A jury convicted Toler on nine of the counts, including multiple aggravated assaults. On appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court held that the evidence was sufficient to support convictions for aggravated assault on three officers and for one count of aggravated assault on the youths, but found the four separate counts against the youths multiplicitous and ordered them merged into a single conviction; the court also upheld the exclusion of evidence regarding Toler’s peaceful character given his admissions to brandishing and firing the weapon. The court therefore affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for resentencing on the merged count.
In 2023, Christopher Sheely was convicted in Mississippi circuit court of feloniously possessing between one-tenth and two grams of methamphetamine under Mississippi Code Section 41-29-139(c) and was sentenced to two years in custody with the remainder suspended. On appeal, Sheely argued that the trial court erred by denying his proposed jury instruction on a broken chain of custody and that the evidence was insufficient to prove he intentionally possessed a felony amount of the controlled substance. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The court determined that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Sheely knowingly and intentionally possessed the methamphetamine in the required weight. On the chain-of-custody issue, the court held that Sheely failed to overcome the presumption of regularity because he presented no evidence of tampering or substitution, even though the substances from two individuals were stored in the same locker.
In Arious Turner v. State of Mississippi, the defendant was convicted of kidnapping her four-year-old daughter after failing to return the child to her former stepmother, who had primary physical custody under a chancery court order, following a limited visitation period. The child remained missing for forty-four days until located by U.S. Marshals. On appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the sole issue was whether the State presented sufficient evidence to support the kidnapping conviction under Mississippi Code Section 97-3-53. The court affirmed the conviction, holding that a rational juror could find each element proven beyond a reasonable doubt when viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, including that Turner acted without lawful authority and against the will of the lawful custodian.
The case involved a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Donnie Clay, who died by suicide while in the Tunica County Jail, against Tunica County and its sheriff under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for alleged violations of Clay's Fourteenth Amendment rights due to inadequate training and policies. The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendants, finding qualified immunity for the sheriff and no evidence of a county policy or custom causing the death, and the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the judgment as to the county. The court reasoned that the plaintiffs failed to identify an official policy or custom that was the moving force behind the suicide, that a single employee's failure to follow policy does not establish deliberate indifference or a pattern of violations, and that municipalities are not vicariously liable under § 1983.
Samuel Lasseter sued AWH-BP Jackson Hotel, LLC, and Spire Hospitality, LLC, after he tripped and fell on a transition strip between carpet and tile flooring while walking with a cane at the Jackson Hilton Hotel, claiming the hotel was negligent in failing to detect, repair, or warn about a dangerous defect in the flooring. The trial court granted summary judgment to the hotel after discovery, finding no evidence that the strip constituted a dangerous condition created by the hotel or that the hotel had actual or constructive knowledge of any defect. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, reasoning that Lasseter failed to show the hotel's negligence in creating the condition and that no prior complaints, inspections, or other evidence established the hotel's knowledge of a problem with the strip.
The case involved Martezzarien Welch's conviction for statutory rape in Copiah County Circuit Court, where a fifteen-year-old victim identified Welch as her assailant and forensic analysis showed his DNA exactly matched semen found on her. Welch appealed on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel, claiming his attorney should have collected and tested DNA from his father and great uncle, who were also present at the home and shared genetic markers with him. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and denied the ineffective-assistance claim with prejudice, holding that counsel's choice not to pursue additional DNA testing constituted reasonable trial strategy. The court further reasoned that Welch could not show prejudice because the victim's identification and the exact DNA match would not have been altered by testing relatives.
This case involved a dispute between the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and the Lowndes County School District over the Board's decision to exclude approximately $3.35 million from the District's requested ad valorem tax levy for fiscal year 2020-21. The exclusion was based on the Board's interpretation of 'new' property under Mississippi Code Section 37-57-107(1), stemming from properties that had previously been subject to an expired fee-in-lieu of ad valorem taxes agreement. The District filed a declaratory judgment action in chancery court rather than appealing the Board's decision. The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed the chancery court's grant of summary judgment to the District, holding that the court lacked jurisdiction because Section 11-51-75 provided the exclusive remedy, requiring a notice of appeal in circuit court within ten days of the Board's decision.
The case involved Troy Anthony Eaton, who was convicted by a Tippah County jury of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Josh Smith and aggravated assault for shooting Ricky Dale Vick after a confrontation between two groups at Hatchie Bottom on September 29-30, 2020. Eaton appealed, challenging the admission of a glass pipe into evidence, the sufficiency of the evidence to support the convictions, and the weight and credibility of the evidence supporting the jury's rejection of his self-defense claim. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences, holding that the trial court did not err in admitting the pipe, that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence that Eaton did not act in self-defense, and that the jury's credibility determinations were not against the overwhelming weight of the evidence.
Robert Fisher was convicted in Yazoo County Circuit Court of multiple counts of drug possession and trafficking after officers, responding to a marijuana odor complaint at a storage facility, obtained a warrant for his unit and later for his home, where additional drugs and firearms were found. On appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, Fisher argued that his right to testify was violated, that officers conducted an unlawful search by using a ladder to peer into his storage unit, and that he was improperly sentenced as a habitual offender without sufficient proof. The court affirmed the convictions and sentences, applying plain-error review because the claims were not raised at trial and finding no manifest injustice, as the search was supported by a warrant, Fisher did not invoke his right to testify, and his sentence rested on mandatory minimum terms for aggravated trafficking rather than habitual-offender status.
In this personal injury case, Latoya Lawson sued the City of Jackson alleging negligence in road maintenance after she was injured by hitting a pothole on her motorcycle. The trial court granted the City's motion for a protective order, shielding it from responding to Lawson's untimely discovery requests and barring her from making public records requests or using any resulting records at trial, citing her lack of diligence in discovery. On interlocutory appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the portion of the order protecting the City from the discovery requests but reversed the restrictions on public records requests and their use at trial. The court reasoned that the trial court lacked authority under the discovery rules to prohibit access to public records under the Mississippi Public Records Act, as invoking that statutory right does not amount to an abuse of the discovery process, and that admissibility of any such records is instead governed by the rules of evidence along with a duty to supplement prior discovery responses.
The case involved Broadband Voice, LLC d/b/a Fuse.Cloud, LLC suing Jefferson County, Mississippi, for $116,984.02 in early-termination fees after the county ended four telephone and internet service contracts signed by the prior board of supervisors. The new board terminated the three-year contracts with proper notice, but Fuse disconnected services early and claimed the fees were due before the termination date. The trial court dismissed the breach-of-contract complaint with prejudice, and the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, holding that under state common law a predecessor board cannot bind a successor board by contract unless expressly authorized by statute, rendering the early-termination provisions unenforceable. The court also declined to consider Fuse's unjust-enrichment and quantum-meruit arguments because they were not raised below.
This Mississippi Supreme Court case arose from a Coahoma County Chancery Court paternity and child custody proceeding between Kimberlyn Seals and Ernest B. Stanton, II, in which Seals's attorneys were sanctioned for failing to appear at hearings and for alleged violations of a temporary custody order. The court affirmed that the chancery court had jurisdiction and upheld findings of direct criminal contempt against two attorneys for missing a scheduled hearing, while affirming an award of attorneys' fees. It vacated the $3,000 sanction against those attorneys as exceeding statutory limits and remanded for resentencing, vacated the contempt finding against a third attorney because his absence constituted constructive criminal contempt requiring additional procedural safeguards, and remanded the remaining contempt claims for treatment as indirect civil contempt with proper notice and hearing. The core reasoning centered on distinctions between direct and constructive contempt, statutory limits on sanctions, and due process requirements such as Rule 81 notice and judicial recusal in constructive contempt matters.
This case involved an election contest over the 2020 Democratic Primary Runoff Election for Alderman, Ward I, in Aberdeen, Mississippi, where S. Nicholas Holliday defeated Robert Devaull. Devaull filed a petition for judicial review in circuit court under Mississippi Code Section 23-15-927 but did not submit a sworn copy of his initial complaint to the party executive committee within the required ten-day deadline. The circuit court allowed Devaull to amend his petition months later and ordered a special election after finding it had jurisdiction. The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed, holding that the statutory filing requirements are jurisdictional and that amendments could not relate back to cure the missed deadline, leaving the circuit court without authority to act. The Court therefore rendered judgment in favor of Holliday.
Eugene Bullen was convicted of second-offense DUI in Madison County courts after officers responded to a flooded vehicle, observed the smell of alcohol, abnormal pupils, and his admission to drinking one or two drinks, and noted his refusal of breath tests. Bullen appealed, claiming the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was intoxicated while driving. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, holding that substantial evidence supported the trial court's finding of guilt under Mississippi Code Section 63-11-30(1)(a), including the refusal to submit to testing and the surrounding circumstances such as driving into a flooded roadway.
In this case, United Healthcare of Mississippi and United Behavioral Health entered into provider agreements with fourteen Mississippi Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) to deliver Medicaid services, initially paying 100% of the Medicaid fee schedule rates from 2012 to 2019. In 2019, United unilaterally imposed a 5% rate reduction retroactive to January 2019 and sought refunds exceeding $1 million for prior periods, prompting the CMHCs to file suit in Hinds County Circuit Court seeking damages and a preliminary injunction to halt the cuts and recoupments. United moved to compel arbitration under the agreements, but after an evidentiary hearing the trial court denied the motion and granted injunctive relief. On appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the arbitration provisions were unenforceable because they had not been approved by the CMHCs' governing boards as required by Mississippi's minutes rule for public entities, and that United had failed to ensure the contracts complied with state law. The court also upheld the injunction preventing the rate reductions pending further proceedings.
This case involved an employee, Darius Powell, who sued his employer, Schaffner Manufacturing Company, and two coworkers for injuries sustained at work, alleging assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress by the coworkers, and negligence, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision by the employer, along with vicarious liability. The trial court dismissed the claims against the coworkers as time-barred but allowed the claims against the employer to proceed, finding they fell outside the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Act. On interlocutory appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed in part, holding that Powell’s negligence-based claims against Schaffner were covered by the Act’s exclusivity provision because they involved accidental injuries arising out of and in the course of employment. The court reasoned that the Act defines injury to include those resulting from negligence or recklessness and serves as the exclusive remedy, replacing common-law tort claims against the employer. The case was remanded for entry of an order dismissing the negligence claims against Schaffner.