Opinion ID: 1694932
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether this court can review the summary judgment order and what standard of review should apply.

Text: ¶ 3. George County contends the only order which this Court can review is the order denying Fairley's motion for reconsideration. George County claims that this order was a final judgment which limits this Court's review to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion when it denied reconsideration. Fairley asserts a de novo standard of review applies to summary judgment orders. ¶ 4. Where a summary judgment dismisses some of the parties to a lawsuit, but not all of the parties, Rule 54(b) of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure governs. It provides in part: [W]hen multiple parties are involved, the court may direct the entry of a final judgment as to one or more but fewer than all of the ... parties only upon an expressed determination that there is no just reason for delay and upon an expressed direction for the entry of the judgment. In the absence of such determination and direction, any order or other form of decision, however designated which adjudicates fewer than all of the ... rights and liabilities of fewer than all the parties shall not terminate the action as to any of the claims or parties and the order or other form of decision is subject to revision at any time before the entry of judgment adjudicating all the ... rights and liabilities of all the parties. Miss. R. Civ. P. 54(b). The comment to the rule explains that an appeal from an order not dismissing all the parties to a lawsuit is interlocutory, absent certification as a final judgment by the trial judge. Miss. R. Civ. P. 54 cmt. This Court will dismiss uncertified interlocutory appeals. [1] See Owens v. Nasco Intern'l, Inc., 744 So.2d 772 (Miss.1999); Williams v. Delta Reg'l Med. Ctr., 740 So.2d 284 (Miss.1999). ¶ 5. The summary judgment order dismissing George County was not a final judgment and could not be appealed until after the order dismissing Atlanta Casualty. The summary judgment order makes no mention of Miss. R. Civ. P. 54(b) nor does it certify itself for appeal by using language found in Rule 54(b). The trial court denied reconsideration of this order based upon timeliness and never re-examined the merits of the notice in light of Reaves. This order, like the one for summary judgment, neither cites Rule 54(b) nor uses the language of the rule to certify the summary judgment order as a final judgment for appeal purposes. When both orders were entered, the case against Atlanta Casualty remained pending. Since the case was still pending, the summary judgment order was an interlocutory order, not a final order, and incapable of being appealed. The summary judgment order became an appealable order only after Atlanta Casualty was dismissed as it then dismissed the only remaining defendant, George County, and put an effective end to the proceedings below. Since Fairley gave timely notice of appeal after the summary judgment order became final, George County's claim that this Court cannot review the summary judgment order is without merit. ¶ 6. The standard of review for summary judgments is well-settled. This Court reviews errors of law, which include the proper application of the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, de novo. Maldonado v. Kelly, 768 So.2d 906, 908 (Miss.2000). See also City of Jackson v. Perry, 764 So.2d 373, 376 (Miss.2000) (citing Cooper v. Crabb, 587 So.2d 236, 239 (Miss.1991)); Jackson v. City of Booneville, 738 So.2d 1241 (Miss.1999). The issue before this Court is whether George County was entitled to judgment as a matter of law against Fairley after Atlanta Casualty's dismissal. This also poses a legal question which this Court reviews de novo. Williams v. Toliver, 759 So.2d 1195 (Miss.2000); Seymour v. Brunswick Corp., 655 So.2d 892, 895 (Miss. 1995).