Opinion ID: 1674262
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 25

Heading: if the appellees are entitled to a judgment against gregory a. meiers and wife, wanda m. meiers, then the meiers should recover the amount of the judgment from donald j. steighner in addition to the amount awarded by the lower court.

Text: Again, we are presented with a question of law which requires a de novo review by this Court. Cooper, 587 So.2d at 239. The Meiers pursued a malpractice claim against Steighner to recover any amount they would be ordered to pay the Corsons. The Meiers were found jointly and severally liable to the Corsons in the amount of $75,000.00. The chancellor found Steighner liable to the Meiers in the amount of $5,000.00 due to his negligence in examining their title. In light of the determination of the first issue presented for appeal by the Meiers, above, the Meiers should only be liable to the Corsons for nominal damages. A legal malpractice case requires proof by a preponderance of the evidence the following: (1) existence of a lawyer-client relationship; (2) negligence on the part of the lawyer in handling the affairs entrusted to him; (3) proximate cause; and (4) injury. Hickox v. Holleman, 502 So.2d 626, 633 (Miss. 1987). In the case at bar there is no dispute that a lawyer-client relationship existed and Steighner's negligence in handling the title work for the Meiers was stipulated at trial. That leaves only proximate cause and injury. In the usual legal malpractice case, in order to prove proximate cause the plaintiff must show that but for his attorney's negligence he would have been successful in the prosecution or defense of the underlying action. Hickox, 502 So.2d at 634. In the context of the present case, the Meiers carry their burden because but for Steighner's negligence they would not have been named as defendants in the first place. Proof of the injury suffered by the Meiers is equally clear  the amount of damages they are ordered to pay the Corsons and the amount of attorney fees incurred in this action. The trial court was manifestly in error when it failed to award the Meiers a sum sufficient to cover the amount they were ordered to pay the Corsons and the amount of attorney fees incurred by the Meiers in this action. On remand the Meiers are entitled to indemnity from Steighner for the amount of nominal damages determined and for their attorney fees incurred in this action.