Opinion ID: 1130504
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: did the court err by failing to limit the award of fees under the contract at issue to an amount in quantum meruit for the period ending with mittie moreland's removal?

Text: It appears that this issue was not argued in the trial below, and Jane Riley urges it upon this Court in summary fashion without any citation to authority. The trial court peremptorily restricted the plaintiff from presenting any proof as to the value and extent of services under the contract; the court's sole concern was with the validity vel non of the contract. Counsel for Mittie Moreland confirmed that their proof would be so limited, acknowledging then that this issue was premature. Therefore, it cannot be disputed that this issue is not ripe for adjudication on appeal. In any event, the determination of either the extent or amount of fees is premature at this time. As previously stated, such determination must await, inter alia, the conclusion of ongoing litigation, most notably the ultimate settlement, by trial or otherwise, of the wrongful death action. Accordingly, the trial court can make a reasonable assessment at such time as it has before it all the necessary information concerning the extent and value of services rendered under the contract. In making that assessment, the chancellor should carefully scrutinize the application made pursuant to the contract at issue in order to determine the appropriate award. We can't help but notice in the combined records of these cases that the demise of Mark Moreland has spawned a procedural quagmire, and we harbor serious doubt about the reasonableness and necessity of some pleadings filed by Mittie Moreland. We simply emphasize here, that on application for fees under the Mittie Moreland contract, the chancery court should limit his award of fees to those expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred in pursuit of the wrongful death action, and limited to the time of Mittie Moreland's removal by the Chancery Court of Hinds County, Mississippi. AFFIRMED. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., and ROBERTSON, ANDERSON and ZUCCARO, JJ., concur. PRATHER, J., not participating.