Opinion ID: 1957633
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: was jurisdiction proper in the county court?

Text: ¶ 5. At the time, § 9-9-21 of the Mississippi Code Annotated stated that counter claims could not exceed $75,000; moreover, if this amount was exceeded, then upon the parties' notice, the county court was required to transfer the case to either circuit or chancery court which would then exercise jurisdiction over the matter. Rule 13(h) of the Miss. R. Civ. Pro. is controlling instead of the Horton case, which was decided prior to the 1974 amendment to § 9-9-21 of the Mississippi Code Annotated and prior to the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure. Horton v. White, 254 So.2d 188, 189 (Miss.1971). Horton, holds that the counterclaim, just as is required of the declaration, must comply with the same jurisdictional prerequisites and if those jurisdictional requisites are not met then the counterclaim cannot be adjudicated in the county court. Id. at 191-92. ¶ 6. Furthermore, the 1974 amendment to the aforementioned statute specifically allowed counterclaims that exceeded the original jurisdictional authority of the county courts. Stated another way, this amendment kept lawsuits in county court even if the setoff, counterclaims, or cross-claims requested an amount exceeding the jurisdictional limits of the county courts. According to the 1974 amendment, if the case was to be transferred to the circuit court it must be done upon motion of all parties. Moreover, absent a joinder of all parties to the motion, the case should remain in county court.