Opinion ID: 1819941
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the Appeal is qualified under Section 13-3-31 of the Mississippi Code.

Text: ¶ 15. A circuit court's decision should be affirmed unless it lacks substantial evidence to support its decision or the decision was manifestly wrong. UHS-Qualicare, Inc. v. Gulf Coast Cmty. Hosp., Inc., 525 So.2d 746, 753-754 (Miss.1987). [W]e have said repeatedly that we will not disturb a trial judge's findings of fact where there is in the record substantial evidence supporting the same, and that the findings of fact of a trial court should and must be accepted unless they are manifestly wrong. Id. at 753 (omitting citations). ¶ 16. All legal notices are required to be published in a newspaper in this state. Miss.Code Ann. § 13-3-31(1)(a-h) and (2) (Rev.2002). In pertinent part, Section 13-3-31 outlines the requirements that must be met for a newspaper to be qualified to publish legal notices: (a) Maintain[ ] a general circulation predominantly to bona fide paying subscribers within the political subdivision within which publication of such legal notice is required. The term general circulation means numerically substantial, geographically widespread, demographically diversified circulation to bona fide paying subscribers. In no event shall the term general circulation be interpreted to require that legal notices be published in a newspaper having the greatest circulation. The term bona fide paying subscribers means persons who have subscribed at a subscription rate which is not nominal, whether by mail subscriptions, purchases through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sellers, or any combination thereof, but shall not include free circulation, sales at a token or nominal subscription price and sales in bulk for purposes other than for resale for individual subscribers. (b) Maintains a legitimate list of its bona fide paying subscribers by the following categories where applicable: (i) Mail subscribers; (ii) Dealers and carriers; and (iii) Street vendors and counter sellers. (c) Is not published primarily for advertising purposes and has not contained more than seventy-five percent (75%) advertising in more than one-half (½) of its issues during the period of twelve (12) months next prior to the first publication of any legal notice. . . . (d) Has been established and published continuously for at least twelve (12) months next prior to the first publication of such matter to be published, is regularly issued at stated intervals no less frequently than once a week, bears a date of issue, and is numbered consecutively . . . . (e) Is issued from a known office of publication, which shall be the principal public business office of the newspaper and need not be the place at which the newspaper's printing presses are physically located. A newspaper shall be deemed to be published at the place where its known office of publication is located. (f) Is formed of printed sheets. [. . . .] (g) Is originated and published for the dissemination of current news and intelligence of varied, broad and general public interest, announcements and notices, opinions as editorials on a regular or irregular basis, and advertising and miscellaneous reading matter. (h) Is not designed primarily for free circulation or for circulation at nominal rates. (2) Newspaper, as used in this section, shall not include a newspaper . . . [published by or for a specialized] group or class of citizens, or which primarily contains information of a specialized nature rather than information of varied, broad and general interest to the general public, or which is directed to any particular geographical portion of any given political subdivision within which publication of such legal notice is required, rather than to such political subdivision as a whole. Miss.Code Ann. § 13-3-31 (Rev.2002) (emphasis added). The trial court found that The Appeal met all the aforementioned requirements. ¶ 17. The Times argues that The Appeal does not satisfy Section 13-3-31(e), which requires that the newspaper be issued from a known office of publication which shall be the principal public business office of the newspaper. . . . Miss.Code Ann. § 13-3-31 (Rev.2002). The Times asserts that The Appeal's principal public business office is at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee. As support, The Times points out that The Appeal's subscribers in DeSoto County receive their billing statements from The Commercial Appeal, and payments are made to the Memphis Publishing Company. Additionally, the Memphis Publishing Company pays The Appeal's employees and covers the utility bills at the Southhaven office. Furthermore, all of the contact information listed within The Appeal has Memphis area codes. The Appeal's printing presses also are located in Memphis. [6] ¶ 18. At trial, The Appeal submitted that its principal public business office is located in Southaven, and that it plans to expand this office from 3,000 to 10,000 square feet. As previously noted, The Appeal has more than twenty employees at the Southaven office, including a general manager, editor, advertising staff, advertising manager, advertising sales staff, a deputy editor, several reporters, clerical staff, and circulation staff consisting of a district manager and one or two field representatives. The Appeal claimed that subscription payments are made to the Memphis Publishing Company solely for accounting purposes, and that subscribers could make payment at the Southaven office if they chose to do so. [7] ¶ 19. Although The Times presented evidence that some functions of publishing The Appeal were carried out in Memphis, we cannot say that the trial court was manifestly wrong in finding that The Appeal maintains an office distinct from The Commercial Appeal. The Appeal presented sufficient evidence to sustain the trial court's ruling that its principal public business office is in DeSoto County. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court's finding on this issue.