The case involved a dispute over venue and jurisdiction in divorce and child custody proceedings between Mitchell and Monica Slaughter after their separation in Chickasaw County. Monica filed a complaint for divorce on fault and irreconcilable differences grounds, plus custody and support, in Coahoma County Chancery Court, where she had returned to her parents' home. The chancellor dismissed the fault-based claim for improper venue under Miss. Code Ann. § 93-5-11 but retained jurisdiction over the irreconcilable differences divorce and custody issues, later attempting to consolidate and transfer to Chickasaw County. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the Coahoma court lacked jurisdiction over the entire divorce action, that custody matters under § 93-11-65 could not be severed to bypass venue rules, and that the case should have been dismissed in full without any retention or transfer.
This case arose from the 1997 shooting death of Eddie McKenzie by City of Columbia police officer Greg Elkins, prompting a lawsuit by McKenzie's wife asserting federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, along with various state-law tort claims including wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The trial court granted summary judgment to the city, police chief, and one other officer but denied it to Elkins, finding that he had not established qualified immunity and that the plaintiff had not pursued claims under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the dismissals of the city, chief, and other officer, reversed the denial of summary judgment for Elkins on the ground that qualified immunity applied under § 1983, and held that the trial court's ruling on the MTCA was without merit.
Marlon Howell was indicted and convicted of capital murder for fatally shooting newspaper carrier Hugh David Pernell during an attempted robbery in New Albany, Mississippi, and was sentenced to death. The facts established through multiple witnesses, including accomplices and an eyewitness, showed Howell approaching Pernell's vehicle, shooting him, and fleeing with others. On direct appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence, holding that the evidence was sufficient, identification testimony was properly admitted and instructed upon, and there were no errors in jury selection or other trial procedures that warranted reversal.
Ernest Smith sued the City of Clinton after slipping and falling on ice and snow while exiting the municipal court building via a handicap ramp on February 5, 1996, sustaining injuries that required medical treatment including from a neurosurgeon and chiropractor. Following a bench trial, the circuit court awarded Smith $150,000 in damages. The City appealed, contending it was entitled to absolute immunity under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act for weather-related hazards or open and obvious conditions. The court reviewed the evidence on whether the icy ramp was obvious to one exercising ordinary care, the City's knowledge of the conditions, and the trial judge's factual findings, concluding that substantial credible evidence supported the judgment in Smith's favor.