Miss. Supreme Court Affirms Dismissal of Out-of-State Plaintiffs' Claims

JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi Supreme Court has found that a trial court didn't err in retroactively applying changes in the state's joinder rules to dismiss several out-of-state plaintiffs whose asbestos-related causes of action accrued outside Mississippi. Albert, et al. v. Allied Glove Corp., et al., No. 2005-CA-01022; Coleman, et al. v. A-Bex Corp., et al., No. 2005-CA-01038 (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

Chief Justice James W. Smith Jr., writing for the majority, said in two separate Nov. 30 opinions that plaintiffs may not be joined under Mississippi law unless their claims are connected by 'a distinct litigable event.'

The justice explained …