Justia Alabama Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

The Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Prichard appealed the grant of summary judgment in favor of the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners of the City of Mobile d/b/a Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service System in a declaratory and injunctive relief action. The dispute centered on the Mobile Water Board's planned takeover of the water and sewer systems currently being operated by the Prichard Water Board. "Because Amendment No. 863 affected only Mobile County, the legislature should have followed the procedure in section 284.01 instead of the procedure in section 284, and that noncompliance with 284.01 invalidated Amendment No. 863 in spite of any compliance with section 284." The Supreme Court reversed and remanded. The Supreme Court did not address all other arguments raised by the parties, and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "The Water Works & Sewer Board of the City of Prichard v. The Board of Water & Sewer Commissioners of the city of Mobile" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court consolidated two cases for the purposes of this opinion. Each of the plaintiffs in these cases attended a foreclosure auction, was the successful bidder at that auction, paid money for the auctioned property, and received a foreclosure deed to the property. Each plaintiff brought an ejectment action under Alabama law, claiming good title to the property at issue and the right to eject the original debtor. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded that the trial courts had subject-matter jurisdiction over these cases, including any issue as to the validity in fact of the plaintiffs' title to the property (this being one of the elements of proof required in an ejectment action). The Supreme Court reversed the trial court in the "Strudivant" case, but affirmed in the "Harris" case. View "Sturdivant v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP" on Justia Law

General Motors of Canada Limited ("GM Canada") petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to direct the Choctaw Circuit Court to enter a summary judgment in its favor on the ground that the plaintiff's substitution of GM Canada for a fictitiously named defendant was made after the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations and does not relate back to the filing of the original petition. Upon review of the matter, the Supreme Court concluded GM Canada met the requirements for the issuance of the writ. The Court granted the petition and issued the writ. View "Poole v. General Motors Corporation et al." on Justia Law

GMAC Mortgage, LLC challenged the reversal of a circuit court judgment entered on GMAC Mortgage's ejectment action against Reginald and Diana Patterson. Upon review the Supreme Court reversed the appellate court's and remanded for further proceedings: "We … recognize, contrary to the holding of the Court of Civil Appeals, that, with respect to nonjudicial foreclosures through the exercise of a power of sale, there is no 'initiation of foreclosure proceedings' with the import ascribed to it. Nor does a 'foreclosure' of the mortgagor's rights occur at some midpoint in that process. We are left then with the notion, long established as it turns out, that the 'foreclosure' of a mortgagor's rights does not occur until the 'end,' when a deed divesting the mortgagor of its rights is signed and delivered to a purchaser." View "Patterson v. GMAC Mortgage, LLC " on Justia Law

In petitions for a writ of mandamus, two juvenile offenders sought dismissal of capital-murder indictments based on "Roper v. Simmons," (543 U.S. 551 (2005)), and "Miller v. Alabama," (132 S.Ct. 2455 (2012)). Both juveniles argued that Alabama's capital-murder statute was unconstitutional as applied to them because the mandatory sentencing structure provides that all defendants charged with a capital offense, including juveniles, must receive either a sentence of death or a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded the juveniles failed to show that the holding in Miller required it to dismiss the capital-murder indictments against them. Accordingly, their petitions for a writ of mandamus were denied. View "Alabama vs. Henderson " on Justia Law

The State sought certiorari for review of a decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals that reversed the Juvenile Court's decision to deny G.M.'s motion to suppress evidence that G.M. argued was obtained pursuant to an illegal search. The matter was one of first impression for the Supreme Court: whether evidence of a public-school student's association with an individual known to be involved in criminal activity and suspected of being affiliated with a gang, without more, constituted reasonable grounds for a search of the student by a school official under the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court concluded that it did not. Therefore, the Court affirmed the Court of Criminal Appeals' judgment. View "G. M. v. Alabama " on Justia Law

Frank Moultrie appealed a circuit court judgment that assessed attorney fees and costs to Moultrie after finding him in contempt for violating the terms of a temporary restraining order. Upon review, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal in part and affirmed the judgment. Based on the arguments presented by Moultrie in this appeal, the Court could not conclude that Moultrie had affirmatively demonstrated that the circuit court exceeded its discretion by assessing the attorney fees and costs against Moultrie. View "Moultrie v. Wall, II" on Justia Law

Target Media Partners Operating Company, LLC and Specialty Marketing Corporation d/b/a Truck Market News, have litigated a commercial contract dispute since 2007. Each party alleged breach-of-contract claims against the other. The litigation ended with a jury verdict in favor of Ed Leader, Target Media's vice president of trucking on the promissory-fraud claim against him; in favor of Specialty Marketing on its fraudulent misrepresentation claim, and in favor of Target Media on its breach of contract counterclaim. Target Media and Leader appealed the judgment entered in favor of Specialty Marketing on its claims against Target Media and Leader. After careful review of the trial court record, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's order that denied Target Media and Leader's postjudgment motion, but the case was remanded for re-review of the punitive damages award. View "Target Media Partners Operating Company, LLC v. Specialty Marketing Corporation" on Justia Law

Toma E. Smith, as personal representative of the estate of Tiffani P. Smith, appeals the grant of a summary judgment in favor of Dr. James Fleming, and a judgment entered in favor of Dr. Winfield S. Fisher III and the University of Alabama Foundation on her wrongful death claims. Dr. Fisher and the Foundation cross-appealed, arguing that the action should have been dismissed as being void ab initio. Based on the trial court record, the Supreme Court concluded the trial court did not err in entering a summary judgment in favor of Dr. Fleming. The Court concluded the trial court did not err in its judgment in favor of Dr. Fisher and the Foundation. View "Smith v. Winfield" on Justia Law

The Board of Equalization and Adjustment of Shelby County appealed a consent judgment reflecting an agreement between the Board and Shelby 39, LLC. The Board argued the circuit court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over certain matters decided by the consent judgment. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Board of Equalization and Adjustment of Shelby County v. Shelby 39, LLC " on Justia Law