“QUOTE UNQUOTE”

September 21, 2012 § Leave a comment

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” – Patrick Henry

“If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought, not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Liberty cannot be caged into a charter or handed on ready-made to the next generation. Each generation must recreate liberty for its own times. Whether or not we establish freedom rests with ourselves.” – Florence Ellinwood Allen

THE PRICE OF FAILING TO GIVE A COMPLETE ANSWER TO THE EXPERT INTERROGATORY: $3,603,712

September 20, 2012 § 4 Comments

What is the price of numerous discovery violations, including failure to make timely disclosure of the substance of the expert’s expected testimony and failure to supplement seasonably?

In Ballard Realty, et al. v. Ohazurike, et al., decided September 6, 2012, the MSSC reversed a jury verdict of $3,602,712 for those very failures on the part of the plaintiffs to designate their expert properly and give a complete answer to the expert witness interrogatory.

The Ohazurikes had designated a witness, Dr. Glover, and answered the rest of the usual expert interrogatory that their expert was …

 expected . . . to testify to all things in her evaluations and opinions regarding the valuation of the lost income of the Plaintiffs and as to other things regarding the present value calculations and potential economic value and profitability of Plaintiffs company Upstart Games and the lost value of Plaintiff’s damages intellectual property board games.

The Ohazurikes attached a copy of the expert’s curriculum vitae (CV) as an exhibit to their designation of experts and added that “[a] copy of Dr. Glover’s report will be forwarded once it is received.” It was not until only five days before trial, on morning of the day that the expert was to be deposed that the report was received by opposing counsel. That report for the first time disclosed that the expert expected to project damages in excess of $15 million.

The defendants did file various motions with the court to try to get the expert testimony excluded, and they did object at trial based on the discovery violations, all to no avail. There was no other evidentiary basis in the record other than this particular expert’s testimony to support the $3 million-plus verdict, which the supreme court reversed.

Justice Randolph’s opinion explained:

¶14. We find that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing Glover to testify despite numerous discovery violations, including failure to timely disclose the substance of Glover’s expected testimony and to seasonably supplement discovery responses, and allowing the witness to give previously undisclosed testimony at trial. Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(4) provides that “[a] party may through interrogatories require any other party to [1] identify each person whom the other party expects to call as an expert witness at trial, [2] to state the subject matter on which the expert is expected to testify, and [3] to state the substance of the facts and opinions to which the expert is expected to testify and [4] a summary of the grounds for each opinion.” Miss. R. Civ. Proc. 26(b)(4)(A)(i). Additionally, Rule 26(f) provides that “a party who has responded to a request for discovery with a response that was complete when made . . . is under a duty  seasonably to supplement that party’s response with respect to any question addressed to . . . the subject matter on which [a person expected to be called as an expert witness] is expected to testify, and the substance of the testimony.” Miss. R. Civ. Proc. 26(f). We have provided that “[t]he failure seasonably to supplement or amend a response is a discovery violation that may warrant sanctions, including exclusion of evidence.” Hyundai Motor Am. v. Applewhite, 53 So. 3d 749 (Miss. 2011) (citation omitted)

¶15. The Ohazurikes failed to comply with Rule 26. In their original designation of experts, they named Glover as an expert witness and identified the subject matter of her opinions, but failed to state the substance of the facts and opinions to which she was expected to testify or to provide a summary of the grounds for her opinions. Ohazurikes did not provide the Defendants with the substance of Glover’s opinion until the morning of her deposition, five days prior to trial. The Ohazurikes’ disregard for the rules of discovery continued to trial, when they violated Rule 26(f) by introducing for the first time a new opinion without having amended or supplemented their discovery responses. In Hyundai Motor America v. Applewhite, 53 So. 3d 749 (Miss. 2011), we provided that, where a party had failed to amend or supplement its discovery responses with material changes to an expert’s opinion, the trial court’s refusal to grant any relief was an abuse of discretion warranting reversal, because “[w]e do not condone trial by ambush. [The defendant] was entitled to full and complete disclosure of the plaintiffs’ expert testimony. . . .” Hyundai, 53 So. 3d at 759. The introduction of an entirely new lost-profits estimate clearly was a material change to Glover’s opinion, of which the Defendants were entitled to full and complete disclosure seasonably before trial. We refuse to condone the Ohazurikes’ failure to comply with discovery requirements. Accordingly, we find that the trial court’s refusal to grant the Defendants any relief for the Ohazurikes’ failure to comply with the mandates of Rule 26 was an abuse of discretion and, combined with other errors to be discussed infra, warrants reversal.

Those “other errors” will find their way into another post.

Experts appear often in chancery. They testify to the matters like the best interest of children, parties’ and children’s mental and physical health, land lines, valuations, damages, surveys, handwriting, water flow, investments, and on and on. Usually, when an expert is involved, there is a lot at stake, either emotionally or financially, or both.

I have not seen many disputes over the adequacy and/or timing of the expert disclosures. When they happen, though, the results can be cataclysmic. And when they are not cataclysmic at trial, they can turn out to be up the line, as the Ohazurikes learned.

I have refused to allow an expert to testify who was not timely designated 60 days before trial per UCCR 1.10. I even refused to allow an expert to testify where there was no answer at all to the expert interrogatory (the actual answer was to the effect that “None at this time. Timely supplementation will be made.” It wasn’t). But I have not yet had to weigh the adequacy of the substantive questions.

Read this case closely for what it can teach you about what won’t cut it as an expert-witness response, as well as what it can teach you about how to make a record of objections that will do the job on appeal.

BREAKING NEWS ON MEDICAID CLAIMS

September 19, 2012 § 2 Comments

In a recent estate in this district, the Medicaid Commission took the position that if the decedent claimed homestead on a parcel of property, and was survived  by a spouse, one or more children or one or more grandchildren, then Medicaid would release its entire claim, regardless whether the property is worth more than the $75,000 statutory exemption.

In this particular case, the estate’s only asset was the homestead property. The lawyer representing the administrator called the Medicaid Commission to try to negotiate a reduction of its $110,000 claim and advised the commission’s staff attorney that the value of the homestead exceeded $75,000. The staff attorney replied that if the decedent was survived as set out above then Medicaid would release its claim, regardless of the value of the homestead.

Up to now, I had understood that Medicaid would release its claim only to the first $75,000, and would pursue its claim above that amount. In the situation cited above, I would have thought that Medicaid would try to pursue its claim to the $35,000 above the homestead exemption.

If this case does, indeed, indicate a shift in policy, you can be in a position to save your clients in estate matters considerable money simply by making a telephone call to the Medicaid Commission.

CAVEAT: Don’t take this post as authority to do anything. Call the Medicaid Commission yourself and get it from them what their position is with respect to your client’s situation.

If you handle any probate matters at all, you need to be familiar with the exemption statutes and understand how they affect the matters you handle. A helpful post on the topic is here. Not claiming exemptions can cost your clients thousands. Clients love lawyers who can save them thousands.

CONSTITUTION WEEK

September 18, 2012 § 2 Comments

It was 225 years ago this week, on September 17, 1787, that the Constitution of the United States was adopted and sent to the various states for ratification. It would take three years after that to achieve ratification by the requisite nine states.

The convention, which met in secret in the Pennsylvania State House, took 100 days to produce what is the organic law of our nation. That three and a half months was filled with drama, rancor, conflict, backroom negotiations and masterful compromise.

Of the fifty-five delegates who were elected to the convention 34 were lawyers, 8 had signed the Declaration of Independence, and almost half were Revolutionary War veterans. The remaining members were planters, educators, ministers, physicians, financiers, judges and merchants. About a quarter of them were large land owners and all of them held some type of public office (39 were former Congressmen and 8 were present or past governors).

Of the 55 elected delegates, only forty-two attended most of the meetings, and of those thirty-nine actually signed the Constitution. Nineteen of the members who were chosen to represent their state never attended a meeting, some because their state would not or could not pay their expenses, some due to health, and some for political reasons. Patrick Henry, although elected, refused to attend because he “smelt a rat.”  Three members, Edmond Randolph and George Mason of Virginia, and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts refused to sign, primarily due to the lack of a bill of rights.

The durability of the Constitution is itself a marvel. It has been effect for more than 220 years, longer than any other instrument of its kind. And its original form has proven durable as well. Although more than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress, only thirty three have gone to the states to be ratified and only twenty seven have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.

The genius of the Constitution’s balance of powers and protection of individual rights has long been recognized. Many states and foreign governments emulate the Constitution in their own organic law.

To me, though, the genius of the Constitution lies in how it came about. It was the product of intensive negotiation and clever compromise. No one who came into the convention left with all he wanted to achieve, and everyone had to give some ground. The crafting of this greatest article of law is a model for the way that all law coming in its wake should be crafted.

If you’re looking for an entertaining read on the subject, I recommend David O. Stewart’s The Summer of 1787, a brilliant account of the proceedings and the personalities of the participants.

REASONABLENESS AND ATTORNEY’S FEES IN CONTEMPT

September 17, 2012 § 4 Comments

In the COA case of Bowen v. Bowen, decided September 11, 2012, the court reversed and remanded the chancellor’s award of $10,000 fees in a case where the judge found the defendant in contempt. It was not the award of fees that the COA questioned, but rather the amount and reasonableness.

As we have mentioned here before, inability to pay is not a threshhold issue to an award of attorney’s fees based on contempt. In a contempt case, attorney’s fees may be awarded where a party’s intentional conduct causes the opposing party to spend time and money needlessly. 

Judge Ishee’s opinion in Bowen points out that the determination whether a fee is reasonable depends on consideration of Mississippi Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(a) and the McKee factors. He said:

” … even in contempt actions, “[t]he reasonableness of attorney’s fees [is] controlled by the applicable [Rule] 1.5 factors and the McKee factors.”   … 

¶25. When awarding Patricia attorney’s fees, the chancery court stated:

‘Although [John] has attempted to purge himself of his contempt by bringing the child support and medical insurance payments current, . . . the [c]ourt is going to assess [John] with attorney’s fees incurred by [Patricia]. If not for [John’s] repeated, willful refusal to abide by the orders of this court, [Patricia] would not have incurred the attorney’s fees, which the court finds to be reasonable and [to] meet all of the McKee factors.

There is no indication the chancery court adequately considered the McKee factors when assessing the reasonableness of the attorney’s fees. There was no consideration regarding the parties financial abilities, the novelty and difficulty of the question at issue, or the assessment of the charges.

¶26. The case at hand appears to be a routine contempt action. While large awards for attorney’s fees may still be awarded in contempt actions, they are not typical for a routine contempt action. … Here, an award of $10,000 appears excessive for a routine contempt action in which only $135 in child support remains unpaid. Furthermore, upon a review of the fees incurred, some charges relate to matters outside of the contempt action, such as modification of child support. Because the attorney’s fees were awarded based on John’s ‘repeated, willful refusal to abide by the orders of [the chancery court],’ fees not related to the contempt action should not have been included in the award amount awarded.”

I’ve made the point here before that …

Notwithstanding the more relaxed standard for contempt and misconduct cases, I encourage you to put on proof of the McKee factors and documentation of your time in the case, so that it is in the record if you need it. A post on what you need to prove attorneys fees is here.

Most attorneys in my opinion do not devote much attention or care to making a record on attorney’s fees. That’s ironic, because you would think it would be a subject of sublime importance to the trial attorney.

Here’s a post about how to prove attorney’s fees in a divorce case. It’s more elaborate than the minimum required in a contempt, but it will give you an idea of what is involved in making a record that won’t spring a fatal leak.

 

 

DICTA

September 14, 2012 § Leave a comment

TOP TEN TIPS TO IMPRESS A CHANCELLOR AT TRIAL: #2

September 13, 2012 § 2 Comments

This is the ninth in a series counting down 10 common-sense practice tips to improve your chancery court trial performance. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, some of these will be familiar. That’s okay. They bear repeating because they are inside tips on how to impress your chancellor, or at least how to present your case in a way that will help her or him decide in your favor.

TOP TEN TIP #2 …

Understand the theory of your case, and be able to communicate it to the judge.

Most chancery matters are straightforward, and the issues are fairly easily framed. A divorce on the ground of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, for instance, requires certain elements to be proven, as does equitable distribution or alimony. Modification of child custody has its own framework of proof.

But when you stray into unfamiliar areas, you need to be able to explain to the judge where you are going and why, and what your authority is on which you rely. A few examples:

  • If you are defending on the basis that the court lacks jurisdiction because of the UCCJEA, or because of forum non conveniens, make that clear in your pleadings, and have chapter and statutory verse ready to cite, along with a case or 2 that supports your position.
  • If you are pushing a novel theory of law, can you distinguish the cases against you, and can you cite some persuasive authority to get the judge thinking your way?

Don’t forget that a major component of your job at trial is to persuade: to persuade the judge not only of the legal viability of your client’s position, but also to persuade the judge to rule in your client’s favor. Nowithstanding that, I swear that I have, more often than I’d like, sat on the bench scratching my head trying to figure out exactly what it was that counsel was wanting me to do, not only unpersuaded, but also mystified.

As I said, there are many fairly straightforward issues in chancery trials, but some, like undue influence or lack of capacity, or adverse possession, can be challenging not only for the lawyer, but also for the judge. If you can’t present your proof and your authority in a way that the trial judge can understand, expect to fail.

This Tip may appear so obvious that it’s a waste of your time to read it. But take a minute and think back to a trial or motion hearing where you floundered about helpelessly and ineffectively. Might that have been because you never got clear for yourself exactly what it was you were trying to get across or never found an effective way to communicate it?

In one of my first days of classes in law school, the late professor Harry Case in Contracts called on a student to brief a case. The student stammered and stuttered, his frustration made worse by Case’s prodding, until he blurted out, “Well, I know what I am trying to say, but I just can’t put it into words.” Professor Case glowered at the young man and hissed sarcastically, “Well, you had better learn how to do just that, Mr. _____, because that is exactly what a lawyer is hired to do.”

The corrolary to this Tip is what I call THE GOLDEN RULE OF CHANCERY PRACTICE, which is

 “The easier and clearer you make it for the judge to analyze, the more likely it is that you will succeed.”

DISCOVERY OBJECTIONS THAT WASTE EVERYONE’S TIME

September 12, 2012 § Leave a comment

Most lawyers propound an interrogatory or two that seek the substance of the other side’s case and what witnesses there are. The query looks something like this:

“State each and every fact, circumstance and event upon which you base the claim in Paragraph 4 of your Complaint for Divorce that the dfendant has been guilty of habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, stating for each the date, time and place of occurrence and each witness thereto.”

Some lawyers, I guess to buy more time, file a response that looks like this:

“Objection. Overbroad and unduly burdensome.”

Or

“Objection:  accord and satisfaction; antenuptial knowledge; arbitration and award; assumption of risk, condonation, connivance, contributory negligence, consent, discharge and bankruptcy, duress, estoppel, failure of consideration, failure to mitigate damages, fraud, illegality, insufficient process, insufficient service of process, injury by fellow servant, laches, lack of capacity to commit the offense, license, payment, pre-existing injuries or damages, provocation, reconciliation, recrimination, reformation, release, res judicata, statute of frauds, statute of limitations, waiver, and any other matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense.”

Or, worse:

“Objection.”

Too often these inadequate and lazy objections wind up on a busy judge’s desk, and the judge is called upon to order the lawyer to do what he or she should have done in the first place.

MRCP 33(b)(4) requires that each objection be stated with specificity. In Ford Motor Co. v. Tennin, 960 So.2d 379, 393 (Miss. 2007), the MSSC said that “General objections applicable to each and every interrogatory … are clearly outside the bounds of this rule.”

Not only that, but the rule specifically says that an objection does not necessarily relieve you of the duty to respond. It says that if the request is only partially objectionable, you must state the extent to which it is objectionable and the reason for the partial objection, and then you must proceed to respond to the unobjectionable part.

If you take the position in good faith that you should object to going back through thirty years’ worth of events, then state your objection and state that you are providing the requested information for, say, the past five years because it is the most relevant period, and it is unduly burdensome to go back any further. The specific language of Rule 33(b)(4) requires exectly that.

If you object that your client cannot remember every minute detail, but that you are providing as best you can the dates and identification of the events, say that. Don’t just make a blanket objection.

If you think it’s unreasonable to provide 360 bank statements (that’s 30 years’ worth) because it’s too burdensome, say so, and offer to provide what you think is a reasonable number. That is what the rule contemplates.

So what do you do if you’re confronted with those kinds of objections? Well, you don’t want to get to trial and face the argument that the other side should be able to proceed unfettered because you never asked the court to rule on the objections. I would file a motion to compel and ask the judge to rule on them and set reasonable parameters (I would also make more reasonable requests in the first place, but that’s another story).

I wonder whether all those boilerplate objections that have no conceivable application in chancery are sanctionable. It would be interesting to hear the argument on that.

THE EFFECT OF AN APPEAL ON A JUDGMENT

September 11, 2012 § 2 Comments

After Van and Myria Strickland were divorced on October 15, 2010, and after Van had filed an appeal, the chancellor entered an “Order Clarifying Judgment” on December 20, 2010. The order awarded the parties the passive-growth increase in the value of asset accounts that had been divided in equitable distribution and had the effect of adjusting and changing the parties’ respective shares.

In the case of Strickland v. Strickland, decided by the COA August 28, 2012, the court vacated the order, holding that the chancery court lacked jurisdiction to enter the December order. The court said:

“Filing a notice of appeal transfers jurisdiction from the trial court to an appellate court, thereby removing the trial court’s authority to amend, modify, or reconsider its judgment.” Corp. Mgmt. v. Green County, 23 So. 3d 454, 460 (¶13) (Miss. 2009). “In other words, the appeal removes the case ipso facto to the appellate courts.” Id. A party may execute on the judgment if an appeal has no supersedeas bond; however, “the [chancery] court cannot ‘broaden, amend, modify, vacate, clarify, or rehear the decree.’” Id. (citation omitted). “On the other hand, when an appeal has a supersedeas bond it effectively suspends the judgment.” Id. (citing In re Estate of Moreland v. Riley, 537 So. 2d 1345, 1348 (Miss. 1989)). As such, “enforcement of the rights declared by the decree are suspended until the appeal is determined.” Id. “When a trial court’s order broadens, amends, modifies, vacates, clarifies, or rehears a decree, ‘it must be vacated as null and void because it exceeds the subject matter jurisdiction of the lower court.’” Id. (citation omitted). See generally M.R.C.P. 59(e) (“A motion to alter or amend the judgment shall be filed not later than ten days after entry of the judgment.”). See also McNeil v. Hester, 753 So. 2d 1057, 1075 (¶68) (Miss. 2000); Bert Allen Toyota, Inc. v. Grasz, 947 So. 2d 358, 362-63 (¶7) (Miss. Ct. App. 2007).

¶20. Van filed his notice of appeal on November 9, 2010. Myria responded by filing her notice of appeal on November 23, 2010. On December 20, 2010, the chancery court entered an order that altered the judgment of divorce by changing the division of the property regarding the increase in value of the asset accounts to the date of the distribution, rather than the date of the temporary order. Because the chancery court’s December 20, 2010 order impermissibly broadened and amended the previous judgments of the court, subsequent to the filing of Van’s notice of appeal, we find that the December 20, 2010 order must be vacated as null and void. See Corp. Mgmt., 23 So. 3d at 460 (¶13) (“When a trial court’s order broadens, amends, modifies, vacates, clarifies, or rehears a decree, ‘it must be vacated as null and void because it exceeds the subject matter jurisdiction of the lower court.’” (citation omitted)). The chancery court lacked jurisdiction to enter such an order. See id. We further find that the May 27, 2011 order, which was before the chancery court on the motion of Myria seeking to enforce the December 20, 2010 order, is also null and void.

I read the authority to mean that, after the time for reconsideration has passed under the MRCP, and once jurisdiction has been acquired by the appellate court, the chancery court can take no action to alter, amend, clarify, modify, or even enforce the judgment. I have had modification cases and contempts filed on judgments that were appealed. The authority cited by Judge Carlton in Strickland makes it clear that as long as the appellate court has not disposed of the appeal the trial court has no jurisdiction to entertain those kinds of actions.

So this is something you need to factor in when deciding whether to appeal. Can your client wait two to two-and-a-half years for a modification or to enforce the judgment while judgment wends its way through the appellate courts?

YET ANOTHER MILITARY DIVORCE POTHOLE

September 10, 2012 § 2 Comments

Representing military parties in a divorce case got a little more difficult a couple of weeks ago, and you need to pay attention or you might unwittingly victimize a client.

The problem lies in the intersection between state divorce law and federal statues governing military benefits.

The latest case is Mallard v. Burkart, decided by the MSSC on August 30, 2012. The parties were divorced in 2001. A significant part of the financial settlement that Burkart received was 40% of Mallard’s “disposable military retirement pay” for ten years. The language of the PSA to effect this division was as follows:

 Pursuant to the Uniform Services Former Spouses Protection Act (“USFSPA”), 10 U.S.C. §1408, the Court makes the finding followings of fact:

(A) That the Husband is currently an active duty service member in the United States Air Force.

(B) That Husband’s rights under the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act have been observed in these proceedings.

(C) That Wife and Husband were married for at least ten (10) years during which Husband performed at least ten (10) years creditable service, making Wife eligible for involuntary military deductions under The USFSPA at such time [a]s Husband becomes entitled to retirement pay.

(D) Wife is awarded 40% of Husband’s disposable military retired pay for ten (10) years unconditional. Wife shall continue to receive 40% of Husband’s disposable military retired pay after ten (10) years if she does not remarry or has not lived with someone for a cumulative of sixty (60) days. Payments shall continue until Wife remarries or lives with someone for a cumulative of sixty (60) days upon which time payments shall cease. It is Wife’s responsibility to notify the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and Husband of any change of eligibility for payment.

(E) The Husband voluntarily consents to the exercise of jurisdiction to the State of Mississippi, County of Forrest for division [of] military retired pay.

That would appear to me to be a competently drafted provision that invokes every element needed for Burkart to cash in on her prpoperty settlement. It would also appear to give Burkart a full 40% of Mallard’s retirement pay. But things are not always as they appear, are they?

At some point after the divorce, Mallard elected to take a 60% disability rating as part of his retirement pay. By doing so, under federal law, he reduced his “disposable military retired pay,” dollar for dollar, by 60%. He reduced his payments to Burkart by a corresponding amount, limiting his payments to his ex-wife to the non-disability portion of his retirement. Due to the election, his payments to Burkart fell from $571 a month to between $80 and $120.

When Mallard sued Burkart for modification on some custody issues that are not part of this appeal, Burkart counterclaimed for contempt, based on Mallard’s payment of reduced retirement benefits. She charged that Mallard had improperly structured his retirment so as to defeat her contractual rights in the PSA. The chancellor found for Burkart, awarding her a judgment for $21,213.57, and Mallard appealed.

The MSSC stated the issue before it: ” … today we must determine whether federal law preempts state law, thus precluding state courts from treating as property divisible upon divorce, military retirement pay waived by the military spouse in order to receive military [veterans’] disability benefits.” Justice Carlson’s opinion noted that this was a case of first impression in Mississippi.

The court held that the issue was disposed of in the US Supreme Court case of Mansell v. Mansell, 490 US 581 (1989), in which the high court held: “In this appeal, we decide whether state courts, consistent with the [USFSPA], may treat as property divisible upon divorce military retirement pay waived by the rtetiree in order to receive veterans’ disability benefits. We hold that they may not.”

Another post highlighting a similar preemption problem with military life insurance beneficiary designation is here.

A few observations:

  • The MSSC opinion points out that it is unclear when Mallard was determined to be disabled. In my opinion, if the determination had predated the divorce, there is a fraud question in connection with the PSA.
  • Considering the minefield of federal law and regulation dealing with retired service members, you might want to define your client’s settlement in terms of alimony and property settlement in set figures as opposed to percentages. I know that percentages are a good way to make sure your client is not short-changed, and I know that alimony can terminate, but wouldn’t Ms. Burkart have been better off with an agreement that Mallard would pay her $571 a month in alimony, or that same sum as a division of her property rights in his military retirement? Then it would have been Mallard’s problem to figure out how to pay it.
  • What business do you have representing military parties — either husband or wife — if you don’t keep up with and fully grasp all the ins and outs of federal law and regulations governing military retirement?

None of this is a knock on the lawyers who participated in the drafting of the PSA in this case. This was, after all, a case of first impression in Mississippi. And, apparently and presumably, no one knew at the time of the divorce that there would be a disability election. If they had known, that Mansell case would have loomed large. Very large.

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