Opinion ID: 1826569
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether venue is proper in Jackson County.

Text: ¶ 12. The defendants claim that even if we reject their interpretation of Section 11-11-3(1)(a)(i), the transfer of venue to Madison County still was proper, as Jackson County does not qualify under any of the four options laid out in the statute. ¶ 13. In addressing the question as to whether venue is proper in Jackson County, we note that Jackson County is neither Johnson's county of residence nor State Farm's principal place of business. Therefore, we must examine the facts of this case to determine whether either a substantial alleged act or omission or a substantial event that caused injury occurred in Jackson County. The defendants point to Medical Assurance Co. of Mississippi v. Myers, 956 So.2d 213 (Miss.2007), to support their proposition that venue was improper in Jackson County. In Myers, Dr. Myers, a Holmes County resident, sued his insurance company, which had its principal place of business in Madison County, for failure to renew coverage. Myers, 956 So.2d at 214-15. The trial court listed the following factors supporting Myers's claim that venue was proper in Holmes County: (1) Holmes County is where Myers had completed his application; (2) the policy had been issued to Myers in Holmes County; (3) the premiums were mailed from Holmes County; (4) there were communications by mail and phone between Holmes County and Madison County; (5) one of Myers's clinics was in Holmes County; and (6) Holmes County is where Myers chose to file suit. Id. at 218. ¶ 14. Applying in Myers the same version of Section 11-11-3 as in the current case, this Court held that venue was proper in Madison County. Id. at 220. No substantial event that caused injury to Dr. Myers occurred in Holmes County. Therefore, in order to obtain proper venue in Holmes County, Myers needed to show that a substantial alleged act or omission occurred there. Obviously, the facts laid out by the trial court in Myers were not enough to tie venue to Holmes County. The venue statute does not allow the piling of acts or events to establish venue. It specifically requires a substantial alleged act, omission, or injury-causing event to have happened in a particular jurisdiction in order for venue to be proper there. Id. at 219. The mere fact that Holmes County is the place where Myers had experienced being uninsured was not enough to meet the venue requirements of Section 11-11-3. In other words, the alleged act or omission, which was the failure to renew Myers's insurance policy, occurred at the insurance company's office in Madison County, and that is where venue was proper. ¶ 15. While it is clear that this Court was correct in its application of Section 11-11-3 to the facts in Myers, the Hedgepeths' claims clearly are distinguishable. The Hedgepeths' claims are based, at least in part, on actual losses suffered due to Hurricane Katrina, as their complaint alleges the loss of thousands of dollars in personal property as a result of the defendant's failure to provide flood insurance. In addition to their claims for failure to procure flood insurance on their property, the Hedgepeths also allege that Johnson urged them to commit insurance fraud. Johnson was in Jackson County at the Hedgepeths' home when she allegedly told Mrs. Hedgepeth to list some of the property which had been destroyed on the first floor as having been located on the second floor. The Hedgepeths allege that this outrageous conduct caused them mental anguish and emotional distress. State Farm also had two representatives inform the Hedgepeths in person in Jackson County that their claim would be denied because they did not have flood coverage. Jackson County is one of the proper venues for this suit and therefore, the Plaintiff's choice of venue must be sustained.