Opinion ID: 1622303
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: whether eds failed to exhaust its remedies by timely prosecuting its appeal from the adverse decision of the personal service contract review board.

Text: ¶ 61. On October 10, 2001, during the pendency of the chancery court litigation, EDS asked the Board to cancel DOM's contract with Consultec. EDS abandoned this administrative review on October 23, 2001. On October 26, 2001, DOM filed a motion to dismiss the action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. On October 30, 2001, the chancellor denied DOM's motion to dismiss. ¶ 62. DOM claims EDS brought suit against DOM instead of perfecting an administrative appeal from an adverse decision of the Board. DOM further argues that because EDS failed to exhaust all of its administrative remedies, the chancery court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to review these matters. ¶ 63. EDS argues it filed a petition before the Board to review issues DOM failed to raise at the March 2001 meeting. EDS claims the petition was filed before the chancery court hearing so that the Board could have a second opportunity to correct its earlier mistake. EDS withdrew the petition because it feared DOM and Consultec would use the pending petition before the Board as a tactic to further avoid judicial scrutiny. ¶ 64. This Court has held that when there is not a statutory plan for appeal from a state board or agency's decision and the aggrieved party does not have an adequate remedy at law, jurisdiction to review of [sic] the board or agency's decision lies with the chancery court. Pub. Employees' Ret. Sys. v. Langham, 812 So.2d 969, 972 (Miss.2002) (citing Prisock v. Perkins, 735 So.2d 440, 443 (Miss.1999); Charter Med. Corp. v. Miss. Health, Planning & Dev. Agency, 362 So.2d 180, 181 (Miss.1978)). In Charter Medical Corp. v. Mississippi Health Planning & Dev. Agency, 362 So.2d 180, 181 (Miss.1978), we stated that where there is no statutory scheme for appeal from a decision of a state board or agency and the injured party does not have a full, plain, complete and adequate remedy at law, the chancery court has jurisdiction for judicial review of the board or agency decision. Here there is no statutory scheme for appealing the school board's decision awarding a hunting and fishing lease, and Prisock lacks a complete and adequate remedy at law. Therefore, the chancery court would have jurisdiction of an original action for injunction to judicially review the school board's decision. Prisock, 735 So.2d at 443. ¶ 65. Section 6-201 of the Personal Service Contract Review Board Regulations states, [a]ny person receiving an adverse decision, the state, or both may appeal from a decision of the Personal Service Contract Review Board to the designated court or courts of the state. ¶ 66. This matter was properly brought first before the PSCRB. After receiving an adverse ruling, EDS filed an appeal with the Chancery Court of Hinds County. Finding the chancery court had jurisdiction over this matter, we find this issue to be without merit.