Appellate Experience in Mississippi Family Law

The breadth of Mark's appellate experience covers virtually every dimension of Mississippi family law. Below is a representative selection of matters he has handled before the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Child Custody and Guardian Ad Litem

Gateley v. Gateley, 158 So. 3d 296 (Miss. 2015): Mississippi Supreme Court custody appeal addressing guardian ad litem procedure, Albright custody factors, and standards of appellate review in custody determinations.

Gilliland v. Gilliland, 969 So. 2d 56 (Miss. Ct. App. 2007): Contested custody appeal involving guardian ad litem procedure, domestic violence allegations, parental mental health issues, and Albright-factor analysis.

Lawrence v. Lawrence, 956 So. 2d 251 (Miss. Ct. App. 2006): Custody and divorce appeal addressing condonation, summary judgment standards, domestic violence evidence, and Albright-factor analysis.

Equitable Distribution and Business Valuation

Lowrey v. Lowrey, 25 So. 3d 274 (Miss. 2009): Major Mississippi Supreme Court appeal involving child custody, equitable distribution, alimony, gambling-related dissipation of marital assets, and child support standards. The Court reversed and remanded portions of the chancery judgment.

Johnson v. Johnson, 650 So. 2d 1281 (Miss. 1994): Significant Mississippi Supreme Court appeal addressing marital versus nonmarital property, inherited assets, commingling, child support guideline deviations, and attorney's fees.

Castle v. Castle, 266 So. 3d 1042 (Miss. Ct. App. 2018): High-asset divorce appeal involving equitable distribution, business interests, marital-home classification, and substantial alimony awards.

Gaskin v. Gaskin, 304 So. 3d 641 (Miss. Ct. App. 2020): Divorce appeal involving inherited property, commingling, retirement asset valuation, periodic alimony, and Ferguson-factor analysis.

Stribling v. Stribling, 906 So. 2d 863 (Miss. Ct. App. 2005): Major divorce appeal involving uncondoned adultery, equitable distribution, business valuation, periodic alimony, and attorney's fees.

Alimony

Murray v. Murray, 1999 Miss. App. LEXIS 265 (Miss. Ct. App. 1999): Post-divorce modification appeal involving lump-sum versus rehabilitative alimony, child-support modification, and attorney's fees.

Welch v. Welch, 755 So. 2d 6 (Miss. Ct. App. 1999): Divorce appeal involving equitable distribution, periodic alimony, lump-sum alimony, and the impact of substantial separate estates.

Rayburn v. Rayburn, 749 So. 2d 185 (Miss. Ct. App. 1999): Divorce appeal involving visitation restrictions, equitable distribution of marital property, and attorney's fees.

Child Support

Cole v. Fish, 427 So. 3d 893 (Miss. Ct. App. 2025): Significant child-support appeal involving the enforceability of escalation clauses in divorce settlement agreements. The Court reversed and rendered judgment on the purported escalation clause.

New v. Comola, 881 So. 2d 369 (Miss. Ct. App. 2004): Child-support enforcement appeal involving escalation clauses, contempt, arrearages, and equitable defenses.

Schimpf v. Hardy, 363 So. 3d 760 (Miss. Ct. App. 2019): Post-divorce modification appeal involving temporary custody changes and equitable child-support credits.

Domestic Violence and Fault Grounds

Kumar v. Kumar, 976 So. 2d 957 (Miss. Ct. App. 2008): Divorce appeal involving habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, domestic abuse, corroboration requirements, condonation, and discovery sanctions. The Court reversed the denial of divorce and remanded with instructions to enter a divorce decree on the grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment.

Stone v. Stone, 824 So. 2d 645 (Miss. Ct. App. 2002): Divorce appeal involving habitual cruel and inhuman treatment, verbal abuse, emotional cruelty, and classification of post-separation assets.

Contempt and Enforcement

J.T.S. v. M.L.S., 2025 Miss. App. LEXIS 522 (Miss. Ct. App. 2025): Substantial post-divorce enforcement and contempt appeal involving a postnuptial agreement, life-insurance obligations, child-support arrearages, educational expenses, and attorney's fees.

Stribling v. Stribling, 960 So. 2d 556 (Miss. Ct. App. 2007): Contempt and incarceration appeal arising from failure to comply with alimony and property-division obligations.

Prenuptial Agreements and Appellate Jurisdiction

Shandy v. Davis, 423 So. 3d 717 (Miss. Ct. App. 2025): Prenuptial-agreement appeal addressing Rule 54(b) certification and final-judgment jurisdiction.

Procedural and Property Matters

Scott v. Scott, 115 So. 3d 847 (Miss. Ct. App. 2012): Rule 60(a) appeal involving railroad retirement benefits and correction of clerical errors in a property-settlement order.

What This Record Means for Your Case

Attorneys who have argued and won at the appellate level understand the law with a precision that others simply cannot match. Knowing how Mississippi courts have ruled, what arguments have succeeded or failed, and where the law is still being defined gives Mark Chinn a significant strategic advantage from the very first day of your case. He brings that same depth of preparation to every matter he handles, regardless of whether it ever reaches an appellate courtroom.

That standard is not an extra. It is how Chinn & Associates, PC operates on every case.

To speak with an attorney who has argued Mississippi family law at its highest levels, call (601) 202-5594 or contact our office online to schedule a consultation.