The case involved Meshel Davis-Everett's appeal of an administrative order by the Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance suspending her bail bonding license for six months and fining her $5,000 for employing her convicted felon husband in the business and using his nickname as the trade name, in violation of state law. The circuit court affirmed the order, and the Court of Appeals of Mississippi also affirmed, finding the decision supported by substantial evidence including advertisements and an affidavit showing the husband's involvement. The court held that the order was not arbitrary or capricious, was within the agency's authority under Mississippi Code Annotated Sections 83-39-15 and 83-39-9, and did not violate any statutory or constitutional rights, as the appellant failed to provide supporting authority or preserve issues for appeal.
This case involved a dispute over an outdoor advertising sign leased on property in Leake County, Mississippi. In 1965, the property owner leased space to Lamar for the sign, with subsequent lease renewals; the leases and a reservation of rights were referenced in a 1991 recorded warranty deed when the land was sold. After purchasing the property at a foreclosure sale in 1996, Harrell destroyed the sign in 2001 despite having seen it and reviewed the deed, leading Lamar and the original lessor's widow to sue for damages. The chancery court found Harrell liable for intentional destruction and ordered him to pay $6,645 in replacement costs plus attorney's fees while issuing a permanent injunction. On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that Harrell had actual and constructive notice of the valid, unrecorded leases through the recorded deed reservation and thus was not a bona fide purchaser without notice, making the destruction tortious.
The case involved a mother and her minor son suing Sherwin-Williams Company for injuries the child allegedly suffered from ingesting lead-based paint in their home, claiming strict liability, negligence, and other theories. The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendant, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. The court reasoned that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations because the plaintiffs knew of the child's excessive lead exposure by 1993 and its connection to lead paint by 1994, starting the three-year clock under Mississippi law, which expired before the 2000 filing.
Reo Covington was indicted for robbery after threatening a bank teller with a bomb to obtain over $7,000 and entered a guilty plea in the Franklin County Circuit Court. Before accepting the plea, the court questioned Covington to confirm it was voluntary, and he acknowledged understanding the charge, rights waived, and possible maximum sentence of fifteen years. Covington later moved for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel, that the facts did not support a robbery conviction, and excessive bail; the trial court denied the motion. The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that the plea statements contradicted the ineffective-counsel claims, the facts satisfied the robbery statute, and the guilty plea waived the bail issue.
The case involved the estate of Mary Kathleen Bond suing the City of Long Beach, Mississippi, after Bond tripped and fell on a sidewalk with an approximately one-inch elevation variation while hurrying to film a Christmas parade in 1998, resulting in a knee fracture; Bond alleged the city failed to maintain its sidewalks in a reasonably safe condition and to warn of dangers. Following a bench trial, the circuit court ruled that the city breached no duty and that no dangerous condition existed. On appeal, the Court of Appeals of Mississippi affirmed, applying a deferential standard of review to the trial court's findings of fact. The court reasoned that municipalities owe a duty of ordinary care to keep sidewalks reasonably safe but are not required to maintain them in perfect condition or eliminate minor defects, which are common and expected, and that the one-inch variation here did not constitute an unreasonably dangerous condition even in the context of a crowded evening event.
In this case, Bobby Allred was convicted in Union County Circuit Court on three counts of sexual battery against a twelve-year-old girl and sentenced to seventy-five years in prison. Allred appealed, arguing that the indictment's approximate dates for the offenses were too vague to allow him to prepare an alibi defense, that the trial court improperly applied the tender years hearsay exception to admit the victim's statements through a social worker, and that cumulative errors required reversal. The Court of Appeals of Mississippi affirmed the convictions, holding that the indictment provided sufficient notice under state law, that the trial court properly conducted a hearing and made factual findings supporting the reliability of the statements regardless of the victim's age at trial, and that no errors occurred. The court reviewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and found it sufficient to support the jury's verdict on each count.