Opinion ID: 1862520
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Did the Mississippi chancery court address the issue of its jurisdiction in making its judgment?

Text: Appellant Crowe claims that the record shows no facts proved or admitted to support subject-matter jurisdiction, and that under the 1926 Tennessee case of Chambers v. Treadway, 289 S.W. 533, 154 Tenn. 134, the court's assumption of jurisdiction was thus without basis. Crowe further contends that, since the jurisdictional issue was allegedly not fully and fairly litigated below, the judgment did not merit the full faith and credit accorded it by the state of Louisiana. The applicable Mississippi rule holds, however, that when a court of general jurisdiction acts, the jurisdictional facts presumptively exist unless otherwise shown in the record. Majors v. Purnell's Pride, Inc., 360 F. Supp. 328, 329 (N.D.Miss. 1973); Dyer v. Russell, 204 Miss. 719, 736, 38 So.2d 104, 107 (1949). In this issue, raised for the first time in the appellant's rebuttal brief, Crowe claims that the Mississippi court made no explicit finding of subject-matter jurisdiction. Under Mississippi law just cited, however, Crowe's contention bears no merit. The Mississippi court presumptively assumed appropriate jurisdiction. If Crowe alleges otherwise, he bears the burden of overcoming the presumption of correct jurisdiction. Since Crowe did not allege any facts of record contradicting the court's jurisdiction, its jurisdiction over this subject matter stands. C. Issue # 3