Mississippi Business Journal » Mississippi Supreme Court

State courts not bound by federal court’s cap ruling

Clay Chandler — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:17:25 +0000

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that Mississippi’s $1 million cap on noneconomic damages arising from civil litigation does not violate the state constitution’s separation of powers clause does not necessarily mean state courts have to abide by the ruling. The cap was considered the centerpiece of tort reform, with supporters saying it would [...]

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Damages cap ruling could invite another challenge

Clay Chandler — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:09:13 +0000

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in late February that Mississippi’s $1 million cap on non-economic damages arising from civil litigation does not violate the state constitution’s separation of powers clause. The appeals court issued the ruling in response to the Mississippi Supreme Court’s decision not to rule on the matter last summer. The [...]

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New MSBOC director goes from lawyer to pioneer

Wally Northway — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:13:26 +0000

Stephanie Sills Lee was well on her way to a stellar career in the field of law when a life-changing event forced her to re-evaluate where she was and where she was going. Little did she know that her new direction would land her as the executive director of the Mississippi State Board of Contractors [...]

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Webster dies in accident

MBJ Staff — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:33:24 +0000

Former Coahoma County Court Judge Joe Webster died Jan. 16 after a traffic accident in Clarksdale. Webster, 65, of Clarksdale, continued to preside over cases as a senior status judge by appointment of the Mississippi Supreme Court. He handled 15 cases by appointment of the Supreme Court in 2012. Webster served as a County Court [...]

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Whether CWIP constitutes a tax takes up most of Kemper hearing in front of Supreme Court

Clay Chandler — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:30:41 +0000

Most of last Monday’s hour-long Kemper coal plant hearing at the Mississippi Supreme Court centered on two questions: If the Mississippi Public Service Commission allows Mississippi Power Co. to charge its ratepayers for the facility’s construction, will it constitute a tax, or will it simply be a rate assessment? If it is a tax, does [...]

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Read November 2 issue of MBJ

MBJ Staff — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 03:39:29 +0000

GULF COAST Scaled-back port plan offers chance of timely completion— by Ted Carter PORT CHIEF Search firm likely to lead effort fill job— by Ted Carter GULF COAST $21.1 million recreational harbor, downtown facelift will redefine Bay St. Louis waterfront— by Lisa Monti LAW Supreme Court clears way for excess insurers to pursue claims against counsel — by Clay [...]

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Supreme Court clears way for excess insurers to pursue claims against counsel

Clay Chandler — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 06:17:55 +0000

An Oct. 18 Mississippi Supreme Court decision has the potential to change the state’s legal malpractice insurance market and increase premiums for lawyers who carry it. The holding arose out of a dispute between an excess insurance carrier who sued a primary carrier’s counsel. A former resident’s estate sued Shady Lawn Nursing Home and Vicksburg [...]

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Supreme court sides with Department of Revenue in tax dispute with AT&T

Clay Chandler — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 06:01:58 +0000

A dispute that started between AT&T Mississippi and the state’s tax collection agency has lasted long enough that one of the entities has undergone a name change. Even with a Sept. 6 ruling from the Mississippi Supreme Court, it still might not be over. What began with an audit of the company’s finances in 1997 [...]

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Everyone thought things were running smoothly for Tri-State

Ted Carter — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 06:01:33 +0000

Up until 2007, Hilda Henne Abbot and her siblings thought fiscal management of Tri-State Brick & Tile was running as smoothly as the millions of dollars in automated equipment installed at the Forest Avenue brickyard in the previous years. Within a year, Abbot and brother Robert Henne and sisters Linda Henne and Jodie Henne learned [...]

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Trustmark feels pain of $10 million in bad debt after Tri-State Brick’s demise

Ted Carter — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 06:01:21 +0000

Court documents describe the collapse of longtime Jackson company Tri-State Brick & Tile as a “Mississippi success story gone awry.” And a story in which a bank is left holding the bag — in this instance a very hefty bag. Trustmark National Bank’s foreclosure on Tri-State Brick & Tile came to a close with the [...]

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