Opinion ID: 45527
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Identity of Parties and Identity of Quality of Parties

Text: 23 On appeal, Black contests the presence of the third and fourth identities related to parties. However, in the district court, Black expressly conceded that these identities were present, and she addressed only the first two identities when contesting the defendants' summary judgment motion. A party's concession of an issue means the issue is waived and may not be revived. Smith v. United States, 328 F.3d 760, 770 (5th Cir.2003). By conceding the issues in the district court and failing to address them, Black waived any argument regarding the third and fourth identities. See id. (parties waived issues by expressly stating in their motion for summary judgment that they conceded the issues and by failing to provide any argument on those issues). 24 Moreover, the identity of parties and identity of the quality or character of parties are satisfied. Black was the plaintiff in both suits. Both suits were brought against NPSD and the individual school officials based on NPSD's conduct and the individual officials' capacity as employees of NPSD. Therefore, identity of the parties and identity of their quality or character were established. See Little, 704 So.2d at 1339 (strict identity of parties is not required if the parties in the second suit are sufficiently connected with the first suit such that their interests would be affected as if they were parties); Black, 853 So.2d at 1225 (identities of parties and of their quality were established where police officers who were named only in the second suit are employees of the City of Tupelo, which was named in both suits); Estate of Anderson v. Deposit Guar. Nat'l Bank, 674 So.2d 1254, 1257 (Miss.1996) (finding all four identities met in second suit against bank arising out of its powers as trustee, bank officers named only in second suit operated in their capacities as employees of the bank in managing the trust). Black's contention that these identities are not established because the individual defendants were sued only in their official capacities in the state suit and individually in the federal suit is without merit. Thus, all four identities were present in Black's federal action, and the district court properly dismissed her claims on res judicata grounds. 25