Opinion ID: 1897265
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: did the trial judge err in failing to excuse those members of the jury panel who were members of the dixie power electric association?

Text: We specifically addressed this issue in Garcia v. Coast Electric Power Ass'n., 493 So.2d 380, 383 (Miss. 1986). In Garcia the jury venire was asked and responded that they would be fair and impartial. On appeal Garcia argued a member of a co-operative association, which is a party to a lawsuit, is per se disqualified from sitting as a juror. Id. We rejected that argument: In a largely rural area such as exists in Mississippi, all people outside municipalities are supplied by electric co-operatives. Any pecuniary gain the customer or member receives is practically nil. Most of those co-operatives have been in existence since the early 1930s, and, in the presentation of this case and the briefs, there has been no citation of a case in the state, which also inclined toward the rule announced in Ozark, supra, and Thompson, supra [which held that members of electric corporation are disqualified from service as jurors from the trial of a case in which damages are sought against the corporation. Ozark Border Electric Co-Op v. Stacy, 348 S.W.2d 586 (Mo. App. 1961); Thompson v. Sawnee Electric Membership Corp., 157 Ga. App. 561, 278 S.E.2d 143 (1978)]. Mississippi jurisprudence is not ready to adopt or establish such a rule. We have adequate law and authority which will provide for the obtaining of a fair trial and an impartial jury without such a per se disqualification for cause. Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-69 to -79 (1972 and Supp. 1985); Belesky v. City of Biloxi, 412 So.2d 230 (Miss. 1981); City of Jackson v. McFadden, 181 Miss. 1, 177 So. 755 (1937). See also Bell v. City of Bay St. Louis, 467 So.2d 657 (Miss. 1985). As in Garcia, Williams did not ask for a change of venue. His attorneys chose not to exercise Williams' right to challenge a juror for cause. The jury venire was asked and responded affirmatively that they could be fair and impartial even though they might be members of Dixie Electric. Following Garcia, which is directly on point, we overrule this assignment of error. For the reasons stated herein, we reverse and remand for new trial. REVERSED AND REMANDED FOR PROCEEDINGS CONSISTENT WITH THIS OPINION. WALKER, C.J., ROY NOBLE LEE, P.J., and DAN M. LEE, PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON and GRIFFIN, JJ., concur.