Opinion ID: 1675557
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Issue (3): Mississippi is an inconvenient forum for this action under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act.

Text: Rita cites Miss. Code Ann. § 93-23-13(3) (Supp. 1992) in support of her contention that the Chancery Court should not have considered this case because it was an inconvenient forum. She points out that Albert was born in Texas and lived there until Rita brought him to Mississippi for visitation on Thanksgiving of 1990; that all of Donald's witness subpoenas were issued in Texas; and that all of the witnesses, family and child care workers that Rita would call to testify were in Texas. Because Rita did not appear before the Winston County Chancery Court, however, forum non conveniens, as codified in Miss. Code Ann. § 93-23-13 (Supp. 1992) was not presented to the chancellor as a bar to the action. Ordinarily, a matter not presented to the trial court for its decision will not be considered as grounds for reversal by this Court. Parker v. Game and Fish Comm., 555 So.2d 725, 730 (Miss. 1989); First Miss. Nat. Bank v. S & K Enterprises, 460 So.2d 839, 841 (Miss. 1984). Forum non conveniens is extremely similar to a defense of improper venue, which must be presented to the trial court by either a motion or responsive pleading before trial or be deemed waived. MRCP 12(h)(1); Belk v. State Dept. of Public Welfare, 473 So.2d 447, 451 (Miss. 1985). Although there is no Mississippi case which expressly holds that forum non conveniens, as a defense, is waived by the failure to raise it before trial, other jurisdictions so hold. Wilburn v. Wilburn, 192 A.2d 797, 801 (D.C.C.A. 1963); Flaiz v. Moore, 359 S.W.2d 872, 875 (Tex. 1962). Further, forum non conveniens is the type of defense which should be presented before trial; if it is not and trial proceeds, the rule has no further application, i.e., the harm forum non conveniens was intended to prevent, trial in a distant forum, has already occurred. Since Rita failed to appear after receiving sufficient notice of the petition for modification, she waived the issue of forum non conveniens. This assignment of error had no merit.