Opinion ID: 1685556
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Unavailability of Louise.

Text: ¶ 34. Rule 32(a)(3) of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure allows a deposition to be used by any party for any purpose if the court finds that the witness is dead. Miss. R. Civ. P. 32(a)(3). Additionally, Rule 804(b)(1) of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence provides that when a witness is unavailable, a deposition taken in the course of the same proceeding may be offered provided that the party against whom the testimony is now offered, . . . had an opportunity and similar motive to develop the testimony by direct, cross, or redirect examination. M.R.E. 801(b)(1). In Lone Star Casino Corp. v. Full House Resorts, Inc ., the Court of Appeals found that a defendant was not prejudiced by the inability of a witness to testify in person, so long as all parties had an opportunity to pose questions and cross-examine the witness at the depositions. Lone Star Casino Corp., 796 So.2d at 1033. ¶ 35. Apparently in reaction to Louise being named as a party plaintiff with her son, Jennings, Peggy's lawyer deposed Louise on August 23, 1993. The testimony elicited from Louise established that she did not authorize a suit against her daughter (Peggy), that she did not want to sue her daughter, and that she wanted to be removed from the lawsuit. While she did answer questions about the deed, bank account, and other issues addressed in Jennings's lawsuit, the purpose of the deposition was primarily to show that she did not join in or authorize Jennings's lawsuit. The purpose of the deposition was not to conduct discovery or elicit testimony for trial on the issues framed in Jennings's claim. ¶ 36. Louise's deposition ultimately was recessed due to objections to improper leading by Jennings's counsel. [11] Subsequently, on June 22, 1994, an order dismissed Louise as a party to the litigation. ¶ 37. Because of the limited scope of Louise's deposition, which was never completed, we agree with the chancellor's finding of prejudice to Peggy because of Louise's intervening death. [12]