Title: McLEMORE BY AND THROUGH McLEMORE v. Gammon

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

468 So. 2d 84 (1985) Patricia McLEMORE, Brenda McLemore, Allen McLemore and Michael McLemore, Minors, By and Through their Father, David McLemore v. William GAMMON and Mary Gammon. No. 55515. Supreme Court of Mississippi. May 8, 1985. *85 Jim W. Rose, John V. Woodfield, Gulfport, for appellant. Peter Halat, Halat & Sherry, Matt G. Lyons, Biloxi, for appellee. Before WALKER, P.J., and DAN M. LEE and ROBERTSON, JJ. WALKER, Presiding Justice, for the Court: This is an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Harrison County, Mississippi. The appellants, the McLemores, aggrieved with the lower court's holding have perfected an appeal to this Court. This case presents the question of whether the surviving adoptive brothers and sisters of a child killed in an automobile collision have the right to bring suit under Mississippi's wrongful death statute, Mississippi Code Annotated section 11-7-13 (Supp. 1984), to the exclusion of the natural brothers and sisters of such adoptive child. Ronnie Dale McLemore Gammon was born on September 13, 1966 and adopted by William and Mary Gammon on June 30, 1972. Ronnie Dale was killed in an automobile collision on April 6, 1982. On April 15, 1982 a complaint was filed in circuit court by and on behalf of Ronnie Dale McElemore Gammon's natural brothers and sisters against David Franklin Parr and William Bert Parr for the wrongful death of Ronnie. They also named as parties plaintiff the adoptive parents, William and Mary Gammon. The adoptive brothers and sisters of Ronnie Dale were not named as parties plaintiff. The McLemore's attorney, who filed the case had advised the Gammons that only one suit could be filed pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated section 11-7-13 (Supp. 1984), known as our wrongful death statute and that this right was vested in the McLemores. The Gammons obtained the services of another attorney who wrote to the attorneys representing the McLemores discharging them from representing the Gammons with respect to any further action taken in regard to Ronnie Dale's death as there was a conflict between the interest of the Gammon children and that of the McLemore children. On May 11, 1983, a motion for declaratory judgment and related relief was filed by the McLemore's attorney asking the court to declare the McLemore children and the adoptive brothers and sisters and adoptive parents of Ronnie Gammon as those entitled to recover under section 11-7-13 and that the McLemore's attorney be declared the attorney of record. The Gammons and the adoptive brothers and sisters of Ronnie Gammon on May 19, 1983 filed their response to the McLemore's motion, also a motion to disqualify and dismiss the McLemore's attorney, and a motion for ratification of representation by succeeding counsel and a motion to intervene. Following a hearing, the circuit judge entered a judgment dismissing the McLemore children adjudicating that the McLemores had no litigable right, standing, interest or capacity to sue, or to recover proceeds for the death of Ronnie Gammon. Furthermore, the court ruled that Mr. and Mrs. Gammon and the adoptive brothers and sisters were the only parties entitled to sue for the wrongful death of the adopted child, Ronnie Dale Gammon. *86 The appellants contend that the legislature has not excluded the natural brothers and sisters of an adopted child from recovering under the wrongful death statute, and that they are entitled to share equally the damages received, if any, with the adoptive parents and adoptive brothers and sisters of the deceased. They concede that Mississippi Code Annotated section 93-17-13 precludes them from inheriting from Ronnie Gammon but contend that section 11-7-13 gives them the right to maintain an action for his wrongful death. Our wrongful death statute, section 11-7-13, states in pertinent part: Mississippi's adoption statute, section 93-17-13, provides in part: Although our wrongful death statute does not specifically exclude the natural brothers and sisters of a sibling adopted by others from bringing suit for the wrongful death of the adopted child, that statute must be read in pari materia with our adoption statute, section 93-17-13, in order to garner the intent of the legislature. *87 In so doing that part of the adoption statute, 93-17-13, which provides that "... the child and the adopting parents and adoptive kindred are vested with all of the rights, powers, duties and obligations, respectively, as if such child had been born to the adopting parents in lawful wedlock, including all rights existing by virtue of section 11-7-13, (wrongful death statute) Mississippi Code of 1972; ... and (d) that the natural parents and natural kindred of the child shall not inherit by or through the child except as to a natural parent who is the spouse of the adopting parent, and all parental rights of the natural parent, or parents, shall be terminated, except as to a natural parent who is the spouse of the adopting parent ..." is most persuasive that the circuit court judge was correct in holding that the natural brothers and sisters, the McLemores, were not proper parties plaintiff in the wrongful death action. In Dodds v. Deposit Guaranty National Bank, 371 So. 2d 878 (Miss. 1979) citing from In Re Schwab, 355 Pa. 534, 50 A.2d 504 (1947), we stated: "... a valid adoption severs the child from its natural family tree and engrafts it upon that of its new parentage. Thereafter the child attains the status, in law, of a natural child of the adopting parents; ... ." (Emphasis added). If the law were otherwise, in most cases, the natural brothers and sisters would be recovering for the wrongful death of an adopted brother or sister they have never known or seen. Such, was never the intent of the legislature. It would be less than logical to hold that the McLemores could not inherit from or through Ronnie Dale but that they could sue for his wrongful death. A reading of the wrongful death statute in pari materia with the adoption statute compels our holding today. For the reasons stated above, we are of the opinion that the circuit court judge was eminently correct in dismissing the McLemore children as parties plaintiff to the wrongful death action. The judgment of the lower court is affirmed. AFFIRMED. PATTERSON, C.J., ROY NOBLE LEE, P.J., and HAWKINS, DAN M. LEE, PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN and ANDERSON, JJ., concur.