Opinion ID: 1592808
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the cause of action should have been dismissed with prejudice.

Text: ¶ 41. Dr. Arceo and St. Dominic make two arguments that the trial court should have dismissed this matter with prejudice, rather than without prejudice. First, they argue Tolliver's failure to comply with the statutory notice requirements, despite being given repeated opportunities to do so and, presumably, with actual knowledge that she must do so, warrants a dismissal with prejudice. Second, they argue the statute of limitation has expired, so that the cause of action is now barred. ¶ 42. Ordinarily, dismissal without prejudice is appropriate where, as here, dismissal of a suit was based upon a plaintiff's failure to comply with statutory pre-suit notice provisions not governed by the Mississippi Rules of Procedure. See Tolliver I, 949 So.2d at 697-98 (citing Pitalo v. GPCH-GP, Inc., 933 So.2d 927, 928-29 (Miss.2006)). However, in all civil suits, where a suit is dismissed for any reason and the statute of limitation has expired, dismissal with prejudice is warranted. Tolliver v. Mladineo, 987 So.2d 989, 996-97 (Miss.App.2007) and Watters v. Stripling, 675 So.2d 1242, 1243, 1244 (Miss. 1996). This is the required outcome, unless some other mechanism applies to take the case out of that general rule. ¶ 43. With respect to the first contention, Dr. Arceo and St. Dominic appear to be arguing for sanctions in the form of dismissal with prejudice for what amounts to an intentional disregard of the applicable statute. When and under what circumstances such sanctions should be imposed is a separate body of law which neither Dr. Arceo nor St. Dominic has cited. Neither has, in fact, cited any authority for this argument. In the absence of such, we decline to address the argument. Conley v. State, 790 So.2d 773, 784 (Miss.2001). We proceed to the second contention. ¶ 44. The statute of limitation had expired by the time Tolliver II was filed. The only authority which permitted Tolliver's cause of action to be filed on May 9, 2007, was the savings statute. Deposit Guar. Nat'l Bank v. Roberts, 483 So.2d 348, 354 (Miss.1986). ¶ 45. A second suit commenced under the grace of the savings statute is still subject to the same affirmative defenses and substantive challenges as the original suit. Canadian Nat'l /Ill. Centr. R. Co. v. Smith, 926 So.2d 839, 845 (Miss. 2006). The trial court recognized this and granted dismissal. ¶ 46. The savings statute, however, applies only to the abatement or other determination of the original suit. Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-69. The effect of this limitation on the application of the statute is to prohibit repeated refilings of the same cause of action. Once a party has utilized the benefit of the savings statute, it is not available to her again, as a second or third complaint can never be the original suit. ¶ 47. When the language used by the Legislature is plain and unambiguous and the statute conveys a clear and definite meaning, as here, we will have no occasion to resort to the rules of statutory interpretation. Marx v. Broom, 632 So.2d 1315, 1318 (Miss.1994). By the plain terms of the savings statute, its grace does not extend to save a second suit. ¶ 48. Tolliver I was the original suit. Tolliver II was a subsequent suit, permitted to be filed because of the savings statute. Having used the opportunity to refile, Tolliver II was subject to the same rules of law as any other case, including application of the statute of limitation. That limitation period having expired with no further grace available to Tolliver, the trial court should have dismissed this cause with prejudice.