Opinion ID: 1574558
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Denial of Leave to Amend and the Dismissal of the Complaint in 2005.

Text: ¶ 25. Following the same analysis, the chancellor found that the chancery court was without jurisdiction to hear an appeal of the denial of Green's motion to amend. The thirty-day appeal deadline applies to any final finding, order or judgment of the commission. ... Miss.Code Ann. § 77-3-67(1) (Rev.2001). The Commission issued its Order Denying Motion on February 23, 2005. Green did not appeal until April 21, 2005. Thus, if the statute applies to the February order, the chancellor was correct. However, in Mississippi Power Company v. Mississippi Public Service Commission, 240 Miss. 621, 128 So.2d 351 (1961), this Court affirmed a chancery court's dismissal of an interlocutory appeal from the Commission's procedural orders. Id. at 629, 128 So.2d 351. This Court held that it was without jurisdiction over interlocutory appeals from the Commission. Id. at 627, 629, 128 So.2d 351. In doing so, the Court applied a prior version of the applicable statute, section 7716-26 of the Mississippi Code of 1942, which has not been amended in any way relevant to this issue. Therefore, Green was not required to appeal the denial of his motion to amend within thirty days of the order. If he had, as an interlocutory appeal, it would have been properly dismissed and remanded to the Commission. The thirty-day appeal deadline applies only to the final order issued April 5, 2005. Thus, the chancery court did have jurisdiction to consider the order denying Green's motion to amend. Further, the chancery court had jurisdiction to entertain an appeal of the April 5, 2005, dismissal of Green's complaint. Green appealed within the thirty-day statutory deadline of the final order dismissing his complaint. See Miss.Code Ann. § 77-3-67(1) (Rev.2001).