The Mississippi Supreme Court handed down two opinions today. One is a direct criminal appeal addressing, among other things, an indecent technical difficulty during a witness examination via Zoom. The other is a decidedly less salacious civil case applying the MTCA’s presuit notice requirement.
Williams v. State, 2022-KA-01017-SCT (Criminal – Felony)
Affirming conviction of first-degree murder, holding that the conviction was not against the overwhelming weight of the evidence and that the trial court did not err by denying motions for mistrial after an outburst from the victim’s mother or after an technological error caused an explicit video to be played in the courtroom during a voir dire qualification examination of an expert via Zoom where the trial court took corrective action after each incident.
(9-0)
Note – Zoom proceedings took a massive “L” in this one.
The City of Jackson v. Jones, 2023-IA-00394-SCT (Civil – Personal Injury)
Reversing the denial of the City’s motion for summary judgment in an MTCA claim, holding that the plaintiff did not comply with section 11-46-11(2) by failing to serve the city clerk with presuit notice.
(8-0)
Other Orders
- In Re: Uniform Chancery Court Rules, 89-R-99006-SCT (dismissing Motion to Amend the Uniform Rules of Chancery Court Practice to Add a New Rule Requiring Attorneys Representing Out-of-State Petitioners in Adoption Proceedings to Certify Compliance With Statutes Enacted to Prevent Commercialization of Adoptions filed by the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services)
- Brandi’s Hope Community Services, LLC v. Walters, 2022-CT-00188-SCT (denying rehearing)
- Moore v. State, 2022-CT-00327-SCT (denying cert)
- Silver Dollar Sales, Inc. v. Battah, 2022-CT-00476-SCVT (denying cert)
- Harris v. Ratcliff, 2022-CT-00596-SCT (denying cert)
- Edwards v. State, 2022-CT-00719-SCT (denying extension request and dismissing cert petition as untimely)
- Clark v. State, 2022-DR-00829-SCT (denying Motion for Leave to Interview Members of the Venire Who Did Not Serve on the Petit Jury)
- Frazier v. State, 2022-CT-00896-SCT (dismissing cert petition as untimely)
- EEECHO Inc. v. Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board, 2022-CT-01068-SCT (denying cert)
- Harvey v. State, 2023-CT-00157-SCT (denying cert)
- Clark v. State, 2024-M-00201-SCT (denying Petition for Permission to Appeal Circuit Court’s Order Denying Petitioner’s Motion for Discovery)