Opinion ID: 1779796
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether it was Error for the Circuit Court to Dismiss Pitalo's Cause of Action for Failure to Comply with Miss. Code Ann. Section 15-1-36?

Text: ¶ 4. On appeal, Pitalo argues it was error for the trial court to dismiss her cause of action because she failed to send a letter to the defendant as provided in Miss.Code Ann. Section 15-1-36(15) (Rev.2003). Miss.Code Ann. Section 15-1-36 was amended in the special session of the Mississippi Legislature on tort reform in 2002. Section 15 was added and became effective January 1, 2003. It requires that an action based on professional negligence of a health care provider may not begin unless the defendant has been given at least 60 days prior written notice of the intention to begin the action. [1] ¶ 5. When interpreting a statute that is not ambiguous, this Court will apply the plain meaning of the statute. Claypool v. Mladineo, 724 So.2d 373, 382 (Miss.1998). In construing a statute, the Court must seek the intention of the Legislature, and knowing it, must adopt that interpretation which will meet the real meaning of the Legislature. Evans v. Boyle Flying Service, Inc., 680 So.2d 821, 825 (Miss.1996). When drafting Miss. Code Ann. Section 15-1-36(15), the Legislature did not incorporate any given exceptions to this rule which would alleviate the prerequisite condition of prior written notice. Simply stated, shall is mandatory, while may is discretionary. Franklin v. Franklin, 858 So.2d 110, 114 (Miss.2003). Pitalo's failure to send notice of her intent to sue clearly violates the mandatory instructions concerning notice in Miss.Code Ann. Section 15-1-36(15). ¶ 6. Pitalo contends that even though she failed to provide notice of her intent to sue, the circuit court's dismissal of her action violates our holding in Jackson v. City of Wiggins, 760 So.2d 694 (Miss.2000). Pitalo's claim is clearly distinguishable from Jackson as the present case concerns medical negligence actions under Miss. Code Ann. Section 15-1-36 (Rev.2003)  not the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, and Pitalo did not at any time attempt to send a notice of intent to sue to Dr. Graham or Garden Park, as had been done in Jackson. Pitalo's arguments do not excuse the absence of notice of an intent to sue being sent to the defendants in the present case.