Mississippi Supreme Court sends case back to Chancellor for a third trial
Lamar County divorce case partially remanded back to Chancellor for third look
Sometimes a case just never ends. That has to be the feeling for a divorce case out of Lamar County, Mississippi. Last week, the Mississippi Supreme Court sent the case back to the Chancellor for a third trial. In Lowrey v. Lowrey, the original final judgment of divorce was signed in September 2002. The wife appealed that initial decision. In 2005, the Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed the divorce, but reversed and remanded the case for the Chancellor to decide "unresolved matters of child custody, child support, property division and alimony." A second trial was held by a different Chancellor from the first case. And to add to the problem, the case was heard on different dates (2006 and 2007), a common occurrence in Chancery courts in Mississippi. Both parties appealed the final decision by the Chancellor.
The Mississippi Supreme Court recognized this "piecemeal" litigation, where the Chancellor will hold multiple hearings to decide the issues, is a problem with our Chancery Courts.
Hearings can be, and often are, separated by weeks or even months, as occurred in this proceeding. Chancellors are required to follow the testimony of witnesses, review documents offered as exhibits, and attempt to make contemporaneous notes. Trial judges are not afforded the advantage of appellate courts to review the full record of a case without interruption.
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