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30Fall2014TheMississippiLawyerAffirmativeDefensesAnIllusionwithin90daysofreceiptofthemedicalrecords.Justovertwoyearslaterdefen-dantsdoctorandhospitalfiledamotiontodismissforfailureofplaintiffstoattachthecertificate.Thetrialcourtagreedanddismissedonthisbasis.Meadowsv.Blake36So.3d1225Miss.2010.TheMississippiSupremeCourtheldtheBlakedefendantswaivedthedescribeddefensebyactivelyparticipatinginlitiga-tiononthemerits.Defendantshadfiledamotionforpartialsummaryjudgmentparticipatedindiscoveryfiledamotiontocompelenteredintothreeschedulingordersanddesignatedexperts.Thedefendantgenerallymusttimelyraiseallaffirmativedefensesbutifthedefenseisonewhichwouldterminatethelitigationthedefendantmustalsopursuetheenforcementofthedefense.Meadowsv.Blake36So.3d12251234Miss.2010emphasisinoriginal.Thesix-membermajorityopinioninMeadowswasspeciallyconcurredinbyChiefJusticeWallerstatingTheserequire-mentspresupposethatthedefendantknowsorshouldknowthatthedefensewouldnotcouldterminatethecase.Meadows36So.3dat1234emphasisinoriginal.InHutzelv.CityofJackson33So.3d116Miss2010theHortonwaiverrulewasappliedtoenforcethelossoftheaffir-mativedefensesofreleaseandaccordandsatisfactioninanactionarisingoutofacitysstreetimprovementproject.ClaimantassertedwaiveralsounderMRCP8c.ThetrialcourtnotedthecitywaitedthreetimestheeightmonthdelaytimeinHortonbeforeassertingtheaffir-mativedefenses.InadditionJacksoncon-sentedtoaschedulingorderengagedinwrittendiscoveryandtooktheclaimantsdeposition.Therewasnorecordmadeastoanyplausiblereasonfora26-monthdelayintheassertionofthecontrovertedaffirmativedefensessotheywerewaived.Thiswasinaccordwiththiscourtsefforttoensurejudicialefficiencyandtheexpe-ditiousresolutionofdisputes.Hutzelat111912.ThisisthereasonforThePoufEmpireAbrasiveEquipmentCorp.v.Morgan87So.3d455Miss.2012dis-tinguishedHortoninassessingwhetherornottheEmpiredefendantswaivedthestatuteoflimitationsdefense.TheEmpiredefendantswaitedmorethantwoyearsbeforepursuingthestatuteoflimitationsdefenseandparticipatedinthelitigationthroughdiscoverypriortoassertingthedefense.PlaintiffMorganSr.wasapatientthatsuedforsilicosispersonalinjuryagainst88defendantsbutMr.Morgandiedwhileinlitigationandhiscasewasdismissed.AwrongfuldeathlawsuitwasthenfiledbythedeceasedpatientssonandthenewplaintiffMorganJr.ThetrialcourtspecificallyheldintheorderdenyingtheEmpiredefendantsmotionforsummaryjudgmentthatdefen-dantshadnotwaivedthestatuteoflimita-tionsdefense.TheMississippiSupremeCourtinEmpirereferencedtheHortondefendantthatdelayedpursuitofthearbi-trationrightforeightmonthsandsubstan-tiallyparticipatedinthelitigationbeforeraisingtherighttoarbitratecontracttermandreaffirmedthatHortonsaidthewaiv-erruleappliestoallaffirmativedefens-es.TheCourtinEmpirenotedthestatuteoflimitationsassertedintheanswerwasboilerplateandthenmeticulouslyout-linedallthediscoveryactionstheDefendantsengagedinpriortofilingthemotionforsummaryjudgmentassertingthestatuteoflimitations.ThisassessmentofeachstepofdiscoverywasdetailedandcorrelatedtoinformationthatmayhaveleadthedefendantstoknowtheidentityofMorganSr.andsohavefactualdatasuffi-cienttobeawareofthestatuteoflimita-tionsdefenseaslikelyterminatingtheliti-gation.TheCourtconcludedthatthedifferentcontextoftheHortonandEmpirecasesmustbetakenintoaccount.TheEmpiredefendantswerestillinearlydiscoveryandnodepositionshadbeentaken.Thecasewasderivedfromamasstortactioninvolvinghundredsofdefendantsthatitselfwasstillinearlystagesoflitigation.Therequirementsformeetingthesub-stantialparticipationtestinasuitlikethatatissueherewillbefargreaterthanthoseinasuitsimilartotheonedescribedinHorton.Empireat46016.InEmpiretheonlysignificantdelaywasplaintiffMorganJr.sdelayinrespondingtowrittendiscovery.Thesediscoveryresponsesweredeemedneces-saryforthedefendantstodeterminethenatureoftheiraffirmativedefense.ThisincludedinformationsuchasvitaldataonMorganSr.ssocialsecuritynumberandaddresstherebyallowingthedefendantstodetermineMorganSr.sidentity.ThecomplaintdidnotallegethedateofMorganSr.sdiscoveryofhisinjuryorthedateofhisdeathwhichthecourtheldpre-cludeddefendantsfromcalculatingwhetherornotthestatuteoflimitationshadrun.AfterMorganJr.respondedtodiscoveryonOctober22009theEmpiredefendantsfiledtheirmotionforsumma-ryjudgmentonNovember72009.InadditiontheCourtindicatedthatMorganJrhadfailedtoshowhewasprejudicedbydefendantsdelayinfilingthemotion.Thestatuteoflimitationsdefensewasheldnotwaivedandultimatelywasabartothewrongfuldeathaction.Asimilarholdingonnon-waiverofthestatuteoflimitationsdefenseisfoundinJonesv.FluorDanielServicesCorp.32So.3d417Miss.2010statingtheHortonwaivernotappli-cableduetoplaintiffsfailuretostatetheirclaimclearly.Mladineov.Schmidt52So.3d1154Miss.2010involvedaclaimbyinsuredsagainstaninsuranceagencyandthehomeownersinsurerseekingcoverageforflooddamagefromHurricaneKatrina.Theinsuredsclaimedthatthedefensesoftheirallegedfailuresunderthedutytoreadandimputed-knowledgedoc-trineswereaffirmativedefensesunderHorton.PlaintiffsclaimedtheinsurancecompanyandagenthadwaivedtheminviolationofHorton.ThetrialcourtandtheMississippiSupremeCourtsaidnowaiverasthesewell-settledprinciplesoflawweresubstantiverulesoflawandnotaffirma-tivedefensesandsonotsubjecttotheHortonwaiverrule.Acarefulrecorddocumentedonrea-sonsforeachstepofdiscoveryandforanydelaymaysavetheimmunity.Litigantshavebeenwarnedandthetrialcourthasbeengivensomediscretion.KimballGlasscoResidentialCtr.Inc.v.Shanks64So.3d941947Miss.2011foundnowaiverofanMTCAaffirmativedefenseeventhoughtherewasanelevenmonthdelayinthecasebecausethedefendantspursuedtheiraffirmativedefense.Thiswasdonebyinformingtheplaintiffoftheirintenttoseekahearingonthemotiontodismissanddefendantsdocumentingthattheresponsestodiscoveryweremade