Opinion ID: 1859052
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: law i. are the first two rulings of the psc res judicata, and if so, is the res judicata bar lifted by a material change in circumstances occurring subsequent to the denial of jones' first two petitions?

Text: If the PSC's denial of Jones' first two claims are res judicata, then Jones was entitled to proceed on its third application only upon demonstrating that a material change in circumstances occurred between the time of the second denial and the filing of the third petition. See Bowe v. Bowe, 557 So.2d 793, 794 (Miss. 1990) (material change in circumstances removes res judicata bar); Clark v. Myrick, 523 So.2d 79, 84 (Miss. 1988) (same); City of Jackson v. Shell Oil Co., 347 So.2d 340, 341 (Miss. 1977) (same). If no res judicata bar applied, then Jones was entitled to proceed in its third petition as if the previous proceedings had not occurred. Since res judicata is an affirmative defense, it is waived if not timely pled. State ex rel. Moore v. Molpus, 578 So.2d 624, 641 (Miss. 1991); Wholey v. CalMaine Foods, Inc., 530 So.2d 136, 138 (Miss. 1988); see MRCP Rule 8(c). The protesting carriers never raised the issue at the hearing below, so they are estopped from asserting it on appeal. In reversing the PSC's grant of a certificate to Jones, the circuit court stated: This court recognizes that any one small change coupled with other factors that existed at the time of the prior denial and continuing to the present would be sufficient to sustain the Commission's order. The court is simply not able to find any substantial evidence of any material change. Since the protesting carriers failed to raised the res judicata defense at the PSC hearing, Jones was not obligated to demonstrate a material change in circumstance. The circuit court erred, therefore, in reversing on these grounds. Owing to the protesting carriers' waiver, there is no need for us to determine whether a material change in circumstances occurred subsequent to the prior Jones proceedings. By the same token, we need not address the questions of whether the doctrine of res judicata applies generally to hearings before the PSC, and, if so, whether the doctrine could have applied in this particular case.