Ayles Ex Rel. Allen v. Allen

907 So. 2d 300, 2005 WL 1384850
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 2, 2005
Docket2004-CA-00841-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 907 So. 2d 300 (Ayles Ex Rel. Allen v. Allen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ayles Ex Rel. Allen v. Allen, 907 So. 2d 300, 2005 WL 1384850 (Mich. 2005).

Opinion

907 So.2d 300 (2005)

Kassey Ray AYLES, a Minor, by and Through Her Mother and Next Friend, Lesley Melton ALLEN
v.
Coleman Maddox ALLEN, III and M. Lee Graves.

No. 2004-CA-00841-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

June 2, 2005.
Rehearing Denied August 4, 2005.

*301 Roy O. Parker, Jr., Tupelo, attorney for appellant.

Mary Ann Sawyer Peterson, Frank Thackston, Jr., Greenville, attorneys for appellee.

Before SMITH, C.J., CARLSON and DICKINSON, JJ.

DICKINSON, Justice, for the Court.

¶ 1. This is an action against an attorney and his client for abuse of process and invasion of privacy. The circuit court granted summary judgment for the attorney and his client. Finding no error, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

¶ 2. This case is before us on appeal from the Circuit Court of Coahoma County. However, the facts giving rise to this suit occurred in the context of a divorce proceeding in the Chancery Court of Coahoma County.

¶ 3. Lesley Melton Allen ("Lesley") and Coleman Maddox Allen III ("Coleman") were married. Kassey Ray Ayles ("Ayles") is Lesley's child from a previous marriage. Coleman and Lesley had a child by their marriage, Coleman Maddox Allen IV ("Maddox"). The marriage between Coleman and Lesley ended in divorce, and Lesley was granted custody of Maddox. Later, Coleman filed a petition to gain custody of Maddox.[1] Lesley contested the petition. Attorney M. Lee Graves ("Graves") represented Coleman in the custody dispute over Maddox.

¶ 4. During this custody contest, Coleman, through Graves, served a subpoena duces tecum on Ayles's school demanding the production of Ayles's school records, presumably to use against Lesley in the custody dispute over Maddox. The subpoena was served by Graves's secretary on Ayles's school on Friday, August 1, 2003, and directed that Ayles's school records be given to Graves within ten (10) days. However, the school produced Ayles's records to Graves's secretary immediately upon receipt of the subpoena.

*302 ¶ 5. The following Monday, August 4, 2003, Graves mailed notice of the subpoena duces tecum to Lesley's attorney, Bill Luckett ("Luckett"),[2] who received Graves's letter on August 7, 2003, and in reply sent a demand letter by facsimile, requesting that Graves explain why he had not provided Lesley with notice prior to issuing the subpoena, and suggesting that abuse of process may have occurred. By letter dated August 11, 2003, Graves responded that the subpoena was issued in good faith, the school had made a mistake in giving the records to his secretary, and that neither he nor the school had intended to subvert any process. Graves also stated that he would provide Luckett with a copy of Ayles's records if Luckett wished him to do so, but otherwise would hold them until the chancellor ruled on the matter.

¶ 6. On January 7, 2004, Ayles, by and through her mother, filed this suit in the Circuit Court of Coahoma County against Coleman and Graves for abuse of process and invasion of privacy. Coleman and Graves filed a Motion to Dismiss/Motion for Summary Judgment, which stated that Graves was acting individually and on behalf of Coleman and that the complaint should be dismissed as to both Graves and Coleman for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted pursuant to pursuant to M.RC.P.12(b). In the alternative, Graves requested that his motion to dismiss be treated as a Rule 56 motion for summary judgment. Ayles filed a Response to the Motion to Dismiss/Motion for Summary Judgment. Both parties filed supporting affidavits.

¶ 7. The circuit court entered an order treating Graves's motion to dismiss as a motion for summary judgment and granting judgment as a matter of law in favor Graves. The trial court further ordered that because Ayles's causes of action against Coleman arose solely from acts and omissions of Graves, there existed no issue of fact with respect to the claims against Coleman and entered judgment as a matter of law in favor of Coleman. Ayles now appeals and asks us to hold that the circuit court improperly granted judgment as a matter of law in favor of Coleman and Graves.

ANALYSIS

¶ 8. Ayles says summary judgment was improperly granted by the circuit court.[3] This Court reviews summary judgments de novo. Hardy v. Brock 826 So.2d 71, 74 (Miss.2002). The evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party against whom the motion has been made. Newell v. Hinton, 556 So.2d 1037, 1041 (Miss.1990). This Court will determine whether there exists a genuine issue of material fact which could preclude entry of summary judgment. Hardy, 826 So.2d at 74.

¶ 9. Ayles asserts that Graves committed the torts of abuse of process and invasion of privacy by intentionally subverting the subpoena process to obtain privileged school records of a minor, specifically by failing to give notice to Lesley's attorney *303 prior to serving the subpoena. Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Ayles, we must determine whether she has shown that a genuine issue of material fact exists as to Graves's liability for the torts of abuse of process and/or invasion of privacy.

Abuse of Process

¶ 10. This Court has defined abuse of process as follows:

The action of abuse of process consists in the misuse or misapplication of a legal process to accomplish some purpose not warranted or commanded by the writ. It is the malicious perversion of a regularly issued civil or criminal process, for a purpose and to obtain a result not lawfully warranted or properly attainable thereby, and for which perversion an action will lie to recover the pecuniary loss sustained.

Williamson ex rel. Williamson v. Keith, 786 So.2d 390, 393-94 (Miss.2001) (quoting State ex rel. Foster v. Turner, 319 So.2d 233, 236 (Miss.1975) (footnote omitted)). Thus, the three elements of abuse of process are: (1) the party made an illegal use of a legal process, (2) the party had an ulterior motive, and (3) damage resulted from the perverted use of process. McLain v. West Side Bone & Joint Ctr., 656 So.2d 119, 123 (Miss.1995) (citing Turner, 319 So.2d at 236). This Court has stated that the crucial element of this tort is the intent to abuse the privileges of the legal system. McLain, 656 So.2d at 123.

¶ 11. To overcome summary judgment, Ayles must show the existence of each element of abuse of process. Keith, 786 So.2d at 394. This she has failed to do.

¶ 12. The first element of the tort of abuse of process is illegal use of a legal process. Attempting to show that Graves illegally used the subpoena process, Ayles alleges various violations of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure. Thus, it is not so much the "legal process" (subpoena) that Ayles complains of, as the procedure employed to serve it.

¶ 13. Ayles submits that Graves's failure to give notice to Lesley Allen prior to issuing the subpoena on the school was a violation of M.R.C.P. 45(d)(2)(A). M.R.C.P. 45(d)(2)(A) addresses subpoenas for production or inspection, and states, in pertinent part:

Unless for good cause shown the court shortens the time, a subpoena for production or inspection shall allow not less than ten days for the person upon whom it is served to comply with the subpoena. A copy of all such subpoenas shall be served immediately upon each party in accordance with Rule 5.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
907 So. 2d 300, 2005 WL 1384850, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ayles-ex-rel-allen-v-allen-miss-2005.