Bound by the Record
June 5, 2014 § 4 Comments
It’s axiomatic that if you don’t introduce evidence to support a particular claim, your trial judge can not grant your client that relief.
It’s also axiomatic that, if you don’t make a record on a given point, you may not raise it for the first time on appeal.
Those two principles are what tripped up Donald Ainsworth in his attempt to reverse a chancellor’s ruling that based child support on all of his income, including annual bonuses and commissions from vehicle sales. Judge Carlton, writing for the COA in its opinion in Ainsworth v. Ainsworth, issued May 27, 2014, explained:
¶16. Donald argues the chancellor erred in determining his income for child support. Donald claims his yearly bonus and income from vehicle sale are not regular income for purposes of calculating child support. We first note Donald failed to raise the issue of his yearly bonus in his motion for reconsideration. It is well settled that an issue raised for the first time on appeal is barred from our review. See Ory v. Ory, 936 So. 2d 405, 409 (¶9) (Miss. Ct. App. 2006). Thus, we will only review Donald’s argument concerning income from vehicle sales.
¶17. The chancellor calculated Donald’s adjusted gross monthly income to be $4,562, which consisted of his salary, his bonus, and profits from vehicle sales. Following the statutory guidelines in Mississippi Code Annotated section 43-19-101(1) (Supp. 2013), the chancellor ordered Donald to pay $912.40, or twenty percent of $4,562, per month in child support. The chancellor noted that Donald admittedly failed to report income from any vehicle sales on his Rule 8.05 financial statement. The chancellor also noted Donald had failed to comply with her temporary order of December 2, 2010, which required Donald to report the sales of any vehicles to Melanie and to deposit the money from the sale of these vehicles into the registry of the court. During trial, Donald admitted that he made a small profit 3 from vehicle sales but purposefully did not report the sales of these vehicles, either to the chancery court or to the state or federal government for income-tax purposes. Donald also claimed he had no documentation by way of receipts or invoices for the sale of these vehicles. Donald testified he intended to continue selling vehicles and anticipated similar profits.
¶18. With respect to the chancellor’s finding, this Court cannot find the decision to include Donald’s profits from vehicle sales in her calculation of child support to be clearly erroneous. “The chancellor, being the only one to hear the testimony of witnesses and observe their demeanor, is the sole authority for determining the credibility of the witnesses.” Madden v. Rhodes, 626 So. 2d 608, 616 (Miss. 1993). Accordingly, we find this issue to be without merit.
The court also swatted aside: (1) Donald’s argument that the chancellor erroneously ordered him to pay a share of the children’s extracurricular activities; and (2) the court’s award of the tax exemptions to his ex-wife. Both arguments were rejected because he “failed to raise this issue in his motion for reconsideration.”
A few comments:
- A R59 motion is the vehicle you need to employ to bring to the chancellor’s attention matters on which you offered proof at trial, but were not addressed by the judge. Unless it is crystal clear from a reading of the trial transcript that you offered proof to support a given claim, you can not assume that the appellate court or the trial judge will view it that way. In this case, for instance, Donald may have thought that admitting his tax return into evidence was enough to preserve the tax exemption claim, but that evidence goes to many points in a contested divorce trial. File a R59 motion and specifically point to the proof in the record that supports your claim, and give the judge a chance to rule on it. That preserves the point for appeal.
- If you don’t offer any evidence at trial to support a claim, it won’t do you any good to file a R59 motion because the judge has to have evidence in the record to support her findings.
- If you don’t offer any evidence at trial to support a claim, you not only lose that point at trial, but you also are barred from raising it for the first time on appeal. I am constantly amazed at how many attorneys simply do not put on proof in support of their claims. A good example is the request that a child support payor maintain a life insurance policy. Usually the only evidence is a witness saying that she wants him to have a policy. There is no testimony about the cost, or whether the payor is insurable, or anything else that would influence me one way or the other.
- The only exception to the above is where there is newly discovered evidence that could not have been discovered in time to file a R59 motion. In that case, you need to file a R60(b)(3) motion.
I’ve mentioned here before that there is no “motion to reconsider” in our practice. That terminology is usually used to describe a R59 motion, but a R59 motion is actually for rehearing, or a new trial. Actually, though, there is such a thing as a motion to reconsider. Can you find it? [Hint: check out R60(c)].
Social Security and Reduction of Alimony
June 4, 2014 § 1 Comment
May a chancellor grant a downward modification of alimony based on the ex-wife’s post-divorce receipt of Social Security benefits that are derived from the ex-husband’s earnings record?
That was a key issue in the case of Cockrell v. Cockrell, handed down by the COA on May 25, 2014. In that case, the chancellor had found a material change in circumstances based on the husband’s serious deterioration in health, and reduced his alimony by $557 a month, which was the amount of the ex-wife’s Social Security benefits that she qualified for based on the ex-husband’s earnings record. The COA affirmed. Judge Fair’s opinion, for the majority, based its holding on the case of Spalding v. Spalding, 691 So.2d 435 (Miss. 1997).
In Spalding, the ex-wife had filed an action to enforce the alimony provisions of a foreign divorce judgment, and the trial judge allowed the ex-husband a credit for Social Security benefits received by the ex-wife based on the ex-husband’s earnings record. It’s not exactly the same scenario as that in Cockrell, but it’s close enough to decide the issue.
Here is how the Spalding court addressed the issue, beginning at page 438:
In ruling that the use of Social Security payments may be an alternative source of satisfying alimony obligations, the chancellor relied upon this Court’s earlier decisions of Mooneyham v. Mooneyham, 420 So.2d 1072 (Miss.1982), and Bradley v. Holmes, 561 So.2d 1034 (Miss.1990). In Mooneyham, this Court weighed decisions from a number of other jurisdictions and held that Social Security payments derivative from the child support payor should be credited against child support. The Court cited with approval the Georgia case of Horton v. Horton, 219 Ga. 177, 132 S.E.2d 200 (1963), which stated the basic policy:
Social Security disability payments represent money which an employee has earned during his employment and also that which his employer had paid for his benefit into a common trust fund under the Social Security Act. 42 U.S.C. § 301, et seq. These payments are for the purpose of replacing income lost because of the employee’s inability to work upon becoming disabled. Thus, these payments substitute for income. Since the amount of alimony required to be paid is determined largely by income, we see no reason why, in discharging the obligation to pay the alimony, Social Security disability benefits should not be credited.
Mooneyham, 420 So.2d at 1074. This Court stated that the decisions considered from other jurisdictions “appear to be unanimous in holding the social security payments to the minor … should be credited on the amount of support ordered by the court.” Id. at 1073.
Eight years later, this Court followed the logic and holding of Mooneyham in deciding Bradley. Bradley held that a retired father’s child support commitment would be credited for Social Security payments the minor child was eligible to receive premised upon the father’s income record, even though the child’s mother chose to receive Social Security benefits based on the income history of the child’s retired stepfather. Bradley, 561 So.2d at 1035–36. This Court stated that “[e]quity suggests that child support obligations are to be off-set, not only to the extent of payments actually received under the Social Security Act, but also for payments the child was entitled to receive, based on the parent’s retirement.” Bradley, 561 So.2d at 1036 (citation omitted).
This Court’s holdings in Mooneyham and Bradley aligned Mississippi with the majority of jurisdictions which have examined this issue. See Pontbriand v. Pontbriand, 622 A.2d 482, 484 (R.I.1993), which stated that the “overwhelming majority of states that have considered this issue allow a credit for Social Security benefits paid to dependent children.”
The issue raised here on appeal has not been previously presented to this Court. However, in the cases of Frazier v. Frazier, 455 So.2d 883 (Ala.Civ.App.1984), and Brewer v. Brewer, 613 So.2d 1292 (Ala.Civ.App.1992), Alabama has considered this issue and extended the principle of derivative Social Security benefits satisfying child support obligations to cases involving alimony claims. In Frazier, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals held that the trial court erred in not allowing Social Security benefits which the wife received and which were derived from her husband’s Social Security account as credit against his alimony arrearage. Frazier, 455 So.2d at 885. In discussing whether or not to extend derivative Social Security benefits *439 to alimony claims, the court in Frazier remarked:
[w]e cannot fathom any valid reason or reasonable logic as to why the rule of law in the Binns [v. Maddox, 57 Ala.App. 230, 327 So.2d 726 (1976)] and Bowden [v. Bowden, 426 So.2d 448 (1983) ] cases, supra, should not apply to periodic alimony as well as to child support. One of the obvious purposes of Social Security benefits is to partially replace income which is lost because of the retirement of an employee because of age or disability. The payments substitute for income.
Frazier, 455 So.2d at 885.
Appellant contends that the instant case can be distinguished from the Mooneyham case because it deals with retirement benefits rather than disability benefits. This Court, in Bradley, applied the Mooneyham rule to a situation dealing with derivative Social Security retirement benefits, evidently finding no reason to distinguish between Social Security benefits premised on retirement as opposed to disability.
Appellant asserts that Congress did not intend to permit Social Security payments to be an alternate source of income for the satisfaction of an alimony obligation. No cases were cited by Appellant to sustain this conclusion. This Court has held that it will not consider an assertion of error for which there is no authority cited. Armstrong v. Armstrong, 618 So.2d 1278, 1282 (Miss.1993); Smith v. Dorsey, 599 So.2d 529, 532 (Miss.1992); R.C. Petroleum, Inc. v. Hernandez, 555 So.2d 1017, 1023 (Miss.1990).
Appellant insists that the decision of the chancellor to credit derivative Social Security benefits against alimony represented a downward modification of the alimony granted to Betty Spalding, asserting that William failed to meet his burden of proof regarding a material change in circumstances. This Court, in Mooneyham, applied derivative Social Security benefits as credit against child support obligations. Mooneyham, 420 So.2d at 1074–75. Here, we indicated that derivative Social Security payments credited against child support obligations are to be considered as substitute income. Mooneyham, 420 So.2d at 1074. The chancellor in the instant case applied that same logic to derivative Social Security benefits with respect to alimony, and treated the credit against alimony as an alternate source of income out of which alimony obligations are permitted be satisfied.
The chancellor arrived at the same conclusion as did the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in Frazier, supra, i.e., no valid reason exists to treat derivative Social Security benefits differently with respect to alimony or child support. In the instant case, Betty Spalding’s Social Security benefits are derived in large part from William’s work history and income record. The monies paid into the Social Security fund by William and his employers for the duration of the marriage and the time following the divorce generated the source from which Betty Spalding’s benefits are paid.
The chancellor applied the holding in Mooneyham concerning derivative Social Security benefits as credit against child support obligations to analogous circumstances in an alimony claim. Ample evidence in support of his ruling is found in both Mississippi law and the law of our sister state of Alabama. The chancellor applied the correct legal standard, did not abuse his discretion, and did not commit manifest error. Accordingly, this assignment of error is without merit.
If this rule applies in modification and contempts, it should apply as well in original proceedings where an alimony obligation is being calculated. You might be able to come up with formulations based on the Social Security website calculators that a judge might find helpful in crafting an alimony provision.
A Rule 54(b) Dismissal With a Twist
June 3, 2014 § Leave a comment
We’ve talked here numerous times about the unappealability of a judgment that disposes than fewer than all of the issues pending before the court. If you type “54(b)” in that search box over there it will take you to the many posts on the subject.
The COA case of Newson v. Newson, handed down May 13, 2014, presents a scenario that just might apply in one of your cases, so you should take notice.
In May, 2011, the chancellor entered a judgment granting Lori Newson a divorce from her husband, Anthony, on the ground of adultery. On that day, Anthony’s attorney advised the court that his client had filed for bankruptcy, so the judge reserved ruling on alimony and equitable distribution until the status of the bankruptcy was clarified.
In March, 2012, the chancellor gave the parties the go-ahead to proceed. In August, 2012, the parties submitted a partial agreement, and the court made a partial ruling. The court stated that “the responsibility of the indebtedness of the respective parties, spousal support/alimony, attorney’s fees and/or costs owed by the parties would be reserved for a final hearing. Apparently there was another hearing, because in October, 2012, the court entered an order styled or referred to as a final order, granting Lori periodic alimony, and finding that Anthony was in arrears in the sum of more than $64,000 in alimony, for which he was in contempt. The judge left the record open for Lori’s attorney to present a statement of services rendered so that he could adjudicate attorney’s fees. Anthony filed a motion asking the court to reconsider (R59, I guess, since there is no such thing as a motion for reconsideration), which the court overruled. Anthony appealed.
The COA predictably ruled that, since the chancellor had left the record open without finally adjudicating the issue of attorney’s fees, and without certifying the case, the COA was without jurisdiction and dismissed the appeal.
Now, here’s the twist …
Quite often lawyers ask the court to combine into the final hearing the contempt issues that accrue during the pendency of a divorce. It’s not unusual for the court in such a situation to adjudicate finally all of the divorce issues — grounds, custody, child support, equitable distribution, alimony, attorney’s fees on the divorce — and then to treat the contempt issues. In addressing the contempt issues, the court many times will order that the contemnor do certain things to purge himself of contempt, and for the matter to be reviewed at a later date. Sometimes there is a second or even a third review hearing. In such a case, you are stuck with an unappealable divorce judgment until the trial judge finally adjudicates everything.
Unless …
- You file a R59 motion (within ten days of the original judgment) asking the court to add the “express determination that there is no just reason for delay,” per R 54(b), and directing entry of a final judgment on the issues of divorce, custody, equitable distribution, alimony, attorney’s fees on the divorce, leaving the contempt issues to take their own, separate course. Or …
- You could make a motion at the conclusion of your case that the issues be severed, and that the court make the R54(b) certification to be included in the final judgment.
Of course, you could ask the court not to combine the contempt issues in with the final divorce hearing in the first place, but most clients want the hourly billing and the courtroom time to end, so it’s usually more efficient from a time and law-weariness standpoint to get it all over with in one hearing.
This is one of those situations where you need to pay attention to where you are and how you got there. Once you realize you are faced with a judgment that may not be appealable for quite some time, you need to take steps to extricate your client from that bind.
Waiting for a Sign
June 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
Consider this description of what Joel Misita argued was a sign …
“It is a three-sided structure with a floor and a corrugated metal roof. It is constructed of metal and wood. It is triangular in shape and connects to three poles that form a frame, with two wheels. Each side is eighteen feet in length.The height is approximately fifteen feet, and the structure is capable of being raised higher. Exterior steps and a landing are attached to the back side. Two sides of the structure serve as illuminated signage. Each of those two sides contains four exterior lights that extend outward from the roofline a few feet and hang down, resembling street lamps. On the remaining side, the back side, a singlelight illuminates the door and exterior steps used for entry. The door may be locked by key and has glass window panes. An aerial power line provides electricity to the interior of the structure, in addition to the outside lighting. The interior is approximately 140 square feet. It is a fully-enclosed room, complete with a floor and a roof. The room is air-conditioned and serves as a showroom for some of Misita’s works. Although wheels are attached, the structure has not been moved since Misita placed it in its current position, by fitting and cross-bolting the frame into permanently attached receptors set by concrete into the ground.”
He took that position because he had constructed the thing on a three-acre parcel that was subject to a restrictive covnenant that “No structures are to be erected on the property.” If it’s a sign, it’s not a structure, right? His neighbors, the Conns, disagreed and filed suit in chancery court.
The chancellor ruled that the edifice was, indeed, a structure in violation of the restrictive covenant, and ordered Joel to take it down. Joel appealed.
The COA affirmed the chancellor’s authority to enforce the restrictive covenant, but reversed the finding that it was a structure, finding instead that it was a sign, as Joel maintained. The MSSC granted the Conns’ petition for cert.
In the case of Misita v. Conn, handed down May 15, 2014, the MSSC reversed the COA on whether the thing was a structure, and affirmed and reinstated the chancellor’s ruling. After concluding that the restrictions do run with the land and are enforceable between these parties, the court turned to the sign-or-structure issue:
¶10. … [W]e now analyze whether the object of this dispute is a structure or not. “Generally, courts do not look with favor on restrictive covenants.” Kemp v. Lake Serene Prop. Owners Ass’n, Inc., 256 So. 2d 924, 926 (Miss. 1971). “Such covenants are subject more or less to a strict construction and in the case of ambiguity, construction is usually most strongly against the person seeking the restriction and in favor of the person being restricted.” Id. “An important corollary rule, however, is that the clear and unambiguous wording of protective covenants will not be disregarded merely because a use is prohibited or restricted.” Andrews v. Lake Serene Prop. Owners Ass’n, 434 So. 2d 1328, 1331 (Miss. 1983). “If the intent to prohibit or restrict be expressed in clear and unambiguous wording, enforcement is available in the courts of this state.” Id. “The language of restrictive covenants is to be read ‘in its ordinary sense,’ considering the entire document as well as the circumstances surrounding its formulation to ascertain its meaning, purpose and intents.” Stokes [v. Bd. of Dir. of La Cav Imp. Co.], 654 So.2d [524,] at 527 [(Miss. 1995)].
¶11. Both the circumstances and the plain language of the deed evidence that the word “structure” is clear and unambiguous and has broader application than sixty-two-feet-high buildings. “A reviewing court is concerned with what the contracting parties have said to each other, not some secret thought of one not communicated to the other.” Royer Homes, 857 So. 2d at 752 (quoting Turner v. Terry, 799 So. 2d 25, 32 (Miss. 2001)). Therefore, the language of the restriction should be read in its “ordinary sense.”
¶12. We find that Misita’s “sign” is a “structure.” It is a one-room structure, complete with roof, floor, air conditioning, lights, door with window panes, and a staircase, inter alia. While not a bridge or dam, it is akin to a building or edifice, and is clearly “something built or constructed. Despite its adaptability for transport, it had not been moved since Misita erected it. The chancellor, who physically inspected the structure, found that it “is anchored to pipes which are sunk in the ground and Misita further secured the pipes by concrete.”
¶13. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a structure as “[a]ny construction, production, or piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts purposefully joined together.” Black’s Law Dictionary 1464 (8th ed. 2004). In Sullivan v. Kolb,the Court of Appeals defined “structure” as “[s]omething made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way. —The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole; makeup.—The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity.—Something constructed.” Sullivan v. Kolb, 742 So. 2d 771, 777 (Miss. Ct. App. 1999) (citing The American Heritage College Dictionary (3d ed. 1993)). It is a structure under both Black’s and Sullivan, as it is “composed of parts purposely joined together.” We find no error in the chancellor’s finding.
The court also pointed out in Fn 7 that the COA’s conclusion that the object was not a structure because it was not a building, dam, or bridge was not “consistent with its common usage, for there are many structures that do no qualify as a building, dam, or bridge, e.g., the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, or the Great Sphinx, inter alia.”
This case is a nice complement to Rawaid d\b\a B.P. Quickmart v. Murguia & Arias Grocery, LLC, 124 So. 3d 118, 121 (Miss. App. 2013), which involved a dispute over interpretation of a restrictive covenant between store owners on adjoining property. Rawaid charged that the Mexican grocery next door violated a restrictive covenant against locating a convenience store on the property. The COA affirmed the chancellor’s conclusion that it did not. The opinion quotes Chancellor Malski’s sage finding that if a customer “ … were driving by these two stores and wanted to buy convenience type items—chips, soft drinks, or gas—even though these items were available at M&A Grocery, [he] would surely go to BP Quickmart. If [he] wanted to buy a piñata, . . . [he] would go to M&A Grocery.” But what about an enchilada to go?
Reprise: Probating a Lost Will or a Copy
May 29, 2014 § 2 Comments
Reprise replays posts from the past that you may find useful today …
LOST WILLS
January 5, 2011 § 2 Comments
Does it ever happen to you that an heir shows up in your office and says something to the effect that “Mom says you kept the original of dad’s will. All we have is this [dogeared, coffee-stained, footprinted] copy,” and hands you a bedraggled handful of papyrus? Well, if it hasn’t, it will.
Of course, you did not retain the original [for you younger attorneys: NEVER keep the original of your client’s will]. So what will you do with this forlorn sheaf?
You will probate it. Yes, probate it. But it’s only a copy, you say; and the original will is required to be produced (See, MCA § 91-7-5, -7 and -31). True. But it is possible to probate a lost or destroyed will.
In the case of Estate of Mitchell, 623 So.2d 274, 275 (Miss. 1993), the court said:
The law regarding admission into probate of a lost will is discussed at length in Warren v. Sidney’s Estate, 183 Miss. 669, 184 So. 806 (1938). Sidney’s Estate sets forth the elements necessary to probate a copy of a lost will are: (1) the proof of the existence of the will; (2) evidence of its loss or destruction; and (3) proof of its contents. Sidney’s Estate, 183 Miss. at 675-76, 184 So. at 807. A fourth element has been added: (4) that the testator did not destroy the will with the intent to revoke it. Robert A. Weems, Wills and Estates § 7-17, p. 216 (1983). This last element, which is most central to this case, arose from the theory that when a will cannot be found following the death of a testator and it can be shown that the testator was the last person in possession of the will, there arises a rebuttable presumption of revocation.
Where a will which cannot be found following the death of the testator is shown to have been in his possession when last seen, the presumption is, in the absence of other evidence, that he destroyed it animo revocandi … 57 Am.Jur., Wills, § 551. Adams v. Davis, 233 Miss. 228, 237, 102 So.2d 190, 193 (1958); Phinizee v. Alexander, 210 Miss. 196, 200, 49 So.2d 250, 252 (1950); Horner, Probate Prac. & Est. § 79 (4th ed.). This presumption extends to all duplicate copies, even executed duplicates. Adams, 233 Miss. at 237, 102 So.2d at 194; Phinizee, 210 Miss. at 199, 49 So.2d at 252; Horner § 79.
The proponent of the will must prove each of these elements by clear and convincing evidence. See Estate of Leggett v. Smith, 584 So.2d 400, 403 (Miss.1991); Estate of Willis v. Willis, 207 So.2d 348, 349 (Miss.1968); Adams, 233 Miss. at 237-38, 102 So.2d at 194. (“The intent to revoke must appear clearly and unequivocally.” Sidney’s Estate, 183 Miss. at 676, 184 So. at 807. “The policy of the law requires such contents to be established by the clearest, most convincing and satisfactory proof.” Robert A. Weems, Wills and Estates § 7-17, p. 216 (1983).
Your petition will have to recite on personal knowledge of the petitioner, or supported by affidavits on personal knowledge, all four of the required factors.
You should probate the lost or destroyed will in solemn form. To do otherwise gives an unfair advantage to the proponent of the missing document. Probate in solemn form also seals off the protests of other interested parties and, as a practical matter, takes you directly to the hearing with notice that you will likely wind up in anyway.
At hearing, you will need to prove your four elements by clear and convincing evidence.
- Proving the existence of the will is not usually much of a problem. You will have that copy, or, if no copy is available, someone with personal knowledge can testify that the will did exist. MRE 1001-1008 would appear to govern the issue. As Rule 1008 states, the issue is for the trier of fact to determine.
- Loss of the will can be proven by testimony that the decedent kept his or her papers in a particular place and that an exhaustive search has not turned it up, or that the cabinet where the will was kept was destroyed by fire, or that it was in a repository that has now vanished.
- The “Dead Man’s Statute” has been supplanted by MRE 803(3), so proof of its contents should not be a major obstacle, so long as there is a witness with personal knowledge.
- And the same hearsay exception would apply to the testator’s destruction or intended revocation.
An interesting wrinkle appears in an ancient case, Vining v. Hall, 40 Miss. 83 (Miss. Err. & App. 1866), that is still good law. In Vining, there was conflicting and inconclusive testimony about the contents of the lost or destroyed will, but no disagreement that it included a revocation clause expressly revoking all prior wills. The court held that the revocation clause was effective despite the fact that the dispositive terms of the will could not be determined. See, Weems, Wills and Administration of Estates in Mississippi, Third Ed., § 7.15.
How Opinions are Written and Circulated in the COA
May 28, 2014 § 7 Comments
We recently had the benefit of a series of posts in which Presiding Judge Kenny Griffis explained the COA’s deliberation process from assignment of an appeal by the MSSc through the granting of cert.
Now Judge Griffis continues with his description of the process by which opinions are written and circulated.
How Opinions are Written and Circulated
“A judge rarely performs his function adequately unless the case before him is adequately presented.” — Louis D. Brandeis, “The Living Law”
A. Circulation of cases from other panels
Each week, I receive opinions from other panels; we call this Full Court circulation. Each opinion in Full Court circulation has been through a panel conference and was approved by at least two Judges. My decision is whether I can rely on the panel’s work and join the opinion?
I start with the opinion. I read it carefully. If I have any question about the opinion, I get the briefs, the transcript, or the record to give the case my full consideration. Often, I read the cases cited in the opinion to determine whether I can agree with the analysis. When I am satisfied, I can vote to concur with the opinion.
If I disagree with the opinion or if I am unsure, I can talk to the writing Judge, other panel Judges or any of my colleagues to see if they share my concerns. I can also conduct my own research and review. Often, I may ask the writing Judge to consider a modification to the opinion to address my concern. If a modification is not sufficient, I may write a separate opinion and provide it to the writing Judge.
If I decide to write a separate opinion, I must write an opinion that accurately discusses my concerns with the Court’s opinion. My separate opinion is circulated again with the panel opinion. If the majority of the Court agrees with my separate opinion, I have to write a new majority opinion to recirculate once again.
B. Circulation of cases from my panels
Each week, I also receive opinions in panel circulation. These opinions were written by the other Judges on my panels.
In these cases, I have already read the briefs and the record excerpts. I often reread the briefs and my notes from my preparation for the panel conference. I will use the record excerpts to find the materials that I need from the record or ask for the transcript or the record to review before I sign off on the opinion. I will read the cases that I think are relevant and necessary for me to join the panel opinion or decide to write a separate opinion.
At the panel conference, I heard the assigned Judge’s presentation and recommendation. I asked questions and voted on the recommendation. When the panel opinion is circulated, I have to check the opinion to make sure that the assigned Judge wrote the opinion based on the panel’s vote and consistent with my concerns. If I have questions about the record, I must conduct an extensive review of the record.
If I have questions or concerns about the opinion, I communicate with the writing Judge to improve the opinion. For example, I may disagree with the factual presentation and ask that other facts be added. I may also ask that the opinion include another case or citation to different authority. If I concur with the result reached in the panel opinion, I want to help the writing Judge issue a correct, adequate, and thorough opinion for the Full Court’s consideration.
If I disagree with the opinion, I can write a separate opinion and provide it to the writing Judge. My separate opinion will be circulated along with the revised panel majority opinion (the opinion-writer may revise the opinion to address my separate opinion). If the majority of the panel changes, the case has flipped. I become the opinion-writer, and I have to write the majority opinion to circulate.
My separate opinion may not carry the day at panel but, upon Full Court circulation, the case may flip after all the Judges have voted. There remains the chance that my position may prevail, and I may have to write the majority opinion.
C. Cases initially assigned to me to write
As soon as a case is assigned to me as the writing Judge, my clerks start to work on the opinion. I assign one clerk to each case. I ask the clerk to read the briefs, review the record, and read the parts of the transcript that are relevant to this case. I expect my clerk to prepare a draft opinion.
I normally start to review a case with all of the briefs, the record excerpts and a draft opinion in front of me. I almost always start with the appellant’s brief. I try to read each brief all the way through at one sitting. If the trial judge has written an opinion, I will interrupt the reading of the briefs to read the trial judge’s opinion as soon as I can.
I then read and edit my clerk’s draft opinion. I want to make sure the draft opinion has an accurate statement of facts and procedural history. I may make some notes about changes that need to be made or facts that we may need to examine in the record. I want to make sure that the opinion has accurately stated the positions of the parties. I will come back later and edit the legal analysis.
When I am assigned as the writing Judge, I focus my review from the beginning on the opinion. I read the briefs to decide the case and produce an opinion. I immediately begin to consider which brief will help me, as a reference guide, to write the opinion.
I prefer to have a final opinion ready to present at the panel conference. I plan my panel presentation based on my draft opinion. If other Judges are concerned about an issue or topic, I can tell them how I plan to write it in my opinion. If another Judge is concerned about the presentation of a fact or case authority in the opinion, I note their concern and revise the opinion to address the concern. If there are no objections or concerns, my opinion will be ready to circulate as soon as possible.
III. Conclusion
Almost one hundred years ago, the Mississippi Supreme Court complained about the fact that the “burden of case law has become unbearable to both bench and bar.” Yazoo & M.V.R. Co. v. James, 108 Miss. 852, 67 So. 484 (1915). Mississippi case law is burdensome. I try to write short, clear and crisp opinions. There are many cases that require a longer, more detailed opinion.
I hope that this material will help you understand the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Thank you for the opportunity to serve on the Court of Appeals.
Forbes v. St. Martin Reversed
May 27, 2014 § 10 Comments
Back in March, 2013, the COA reversed a chancellor’s ruling that granted summary judgment in favor of a Louisiana lawyer in a legal malpractice claim based primarily on a claim of breach of attorney-client fiduciary duties. The COA’s ruling in Forbes v. St. Martin was the subject of a post on this blog.
The MSSC, on May 22, 2014, reversed the COA’s ruling, reinstating and affirming the chancellor’s grant of summary judgment in the case.
If you do any contingent fee work, you should read this opinion. Also, Justice Lamar, for the majority, includes an interesting exposition on the principle that a lawyer’s violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct in and of itself does not necessarily give rise to a cause of action for malpractice against the lawyer.
In my 2013 post, I spelled out how fractured the COA was in its vote. Here’s what the MSSC’s looked like:
WALLER, C.J., KITCHENS AND KING, JJ., CONCUR. KITCHENS, J., SPECIALLY CONCURS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY LAMAR AND KING, JJ.; WALLER, C.J., JOINS IN PART. DICKINSON, P.J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY CHANDLER AND COLEMAN, JJ. COLEMAN, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY DICKINSON, P.J., AND CHANDLER, J. RANDOLPH, P.J., AND PIERCE, J., NOT PARTICIPATING.
So it was: Lamar, Waller, King and Kitchens for the majority; Dickinson, Chandler and Coleman in the minority; and Randolph and Pierce on the sidelines.
As I have said in both of these posts, there are many ethical and professionalism overtones in this case that you may find helpful, especially in the current trend in which others pore over lawyers’ work after the fact looking to discover anything actionable.
The Better Chancery Practice Blog 