Arkansas Supreme Court Decisions 2013

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of capital murder and three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. Because the State waived the death penalty, the circuit court automatically sentenced…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1981, Appellant and two other persons were charged with capital felony murder and attempted capital felony murder. The jury only returned a sentence of life imprisonment on the capital-felony-murder charge. In 2010,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother and Father were divorced by decree that awarded joint legal custody of the parties' minor child and primary physical custody to Mother. Both parties remarried after the divorce. Mother subsequently filed a motion…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial in 2006, Appellant was convicted of capital murder, aggravated robbery, attempted arson, and theft of property. Appellant was sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment without parole plus 636…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of one count of rape and four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. More than ninety days after Defendant's conviction, Defendant's trial counsel filed a notice of appeal and did not file an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty to multiple felony offenses. Four years later, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis, alleging that he was not afforded effective assistance of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC), filed a pro se petition for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief against Appellees, certain ADC correctional officers, alleging excessive use of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment. Appellant appealed, arguing that the circuit court erred in denying his motion to suppress an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants filed complaints alleging claims for malpractice and wrongful death against Appellees Dr. Jeffrey Kirchner, Arkansas Health Group, Baptist Health, and Baptist MedCare, Inc. for medical injury and the wrongful…

Justia Opinion Summary: Johnny Washington died after his 1994 Ford Explorer was struck by another vehicle driven by Karah Williams and rolled over twice. Johnny suffered a fatal head injury when his head exited the vehicle during the rollover…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, Appellant was convicted of first- and second-degree battery. The court of appeals affirmed on appeal. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief pursuant to Ark. R.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of theft of property, and one count of second-degree battery. After the court of appeals affirmed on direct appeal, Appellant filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a second jury trial in 2012, Appellant was convicted of four counts of capital murder and one count of kidnapping. Appellant was sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree, and battery in the first degree after crashing his truck into his estranged wife's vehicle,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial in 1992, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In 2011, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to Act 1780 of 2001,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft of property. No appeal was taken. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis, alleging that the trial court erred in…

Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was the Firefighter's Rule, which provides that a professional firefighter may not recover damages from a private party for injuries he or she sustained while putting out a fire even if the private…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC), filed a pro se civil-rights action against Appellees, two ADC officers, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging use of excessive force and failure to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed this action against Respondents, her former employer and former supervisor, asserting retaliation claims pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. 16-123-108. After the case was removed to federal court, Respondent…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1989, Steve Rose and Harbor East, Inc. entered into a consent judgment that awarded Rose $176,000. In 2009, Rose filed a motion to revive the judgment, and an order reviving the judgment was entered. Rose then filed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Diamante, LLC (Diamante) operated a private-membership golf club. There were 450 privately owned lots around the golf club and clubhouse that were located in two subdivisions. Supplemental declarations of covenants and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant served as constable for a township in Greene County from 2008 to 2012. In 2011, Greene County set constable salaries at $25 per month. Appellant later submitted claims for reimbursement of expenses incurred…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was arrested in 2011 and detained in jail, where he remained since his arrest. Petitioner was later charged with aggravated robbery and capital murder. In 2013, Petitioner filed a second amended petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty or nolo contendere to rape. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to Act 1780 of 2001, claiming that scientific evidence was available to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty to robbery and overdraft. The circuit court sentenced Appellant to 300 months' imprisonment to run consecutive to his parole violation. Appellant appealed and filed motions…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of drug-related offenses. Appellant was sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was charged with aggravated robbery and capital murder. The elected prosecutor unsuccessfully moved to nolle pros the case against Petitioner due to the main eyewitness's unavailability. The circuit court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant's decedents were passengers in a 1979 Beechcraft Baron airplane when, in 2008, the left engine lost power and the plane crashed, killing all persons on board. Appellant filed suit on behalf of his decedents'…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioners had a homeowners' insurance policy with Respondent that covered Petitioners' dwelling. The policy stated that any covered loss would be paid based on actual cash value, rather than replacement value, but the…

Justia Opinion Summary: John and Libby were divorced pursuant to a decree that incorporated the parties' settlement agreement. The settlement agreement provided that Libby would serve as the primary custodian of the parties' three sons and…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of rape and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed on appeal. Prior to issuance of the mandate, Appellant filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1991, the cities of Carlisle and Lonoke requested a writ of mandamus to require Lonoke County to pay one-half of the judicial and clerk salaries and a portion of the expenses of the municipal courts in those cities…

Justia Opinion Summary: Les Marlow filed a complaint against Glenn Petkovsek and United Systems of Arkansas, Inc. for breach of contract and breach of the duties of good faith and fair dealing. Additionally, Appellants, Les Marlow and other…

Justia Opinion Summary: Decedent was a resident of Searcy Healthcare Center (SHC) from January 7 to January 29. On January 8, Decedent executed a written arbitration agreement with SHC that was binding on Decedent's children, personal…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial in the Saline County Circuit Court in 1987, Appellant was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 240 months' imprisonment. In 2013, Appellant filed a "motion to order release due to court order from 1996"…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the circuit court in Lee County, where he was incarcerated. Thereafter, Petitioner was transferred to a facility in a different county. The circuit court…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of rape and sentenced to an aggregate sentence of 900 months' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Petitioner subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of the rape of his stepdaughter and sentenced to 156 months' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree terroristic threatening, felon in possession of a firearm, and intimidating a witness. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief under…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of rape and second-degree sexual assault and sentenced as a habitual offender to an aggregate term of 960 months' imprisonment. After Appellant's conviction was affirmed on…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder for the death of his twenty-three-month-old son and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. On appeal, Appellant argued that the circuit court erred by…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) at a facility in Lincoln County, filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Pulaski County Circuit Court. Thereafter,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of failing to comply with registration and reporting requirements applicable to sex offenders and with residing within 2000 feet of a daycare facility as a level-4 sex…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an attorney, was found to be in contempt of court while representing his client in a hearing. Specifically, the circuit court entered an order finding that Appellant was repeatedly warned about interrupting…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty to rape. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis, alleging that his guilty plea was coerced and that the prosecution did not provide him…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and sexual indecency with a child. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for declaratory judgment and for writ of mandamus seeking to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Bobbie Troup, in her capacity as the administrator of the estate of Easter Dawkins, filed suit alleging medical malpractice and wrongful death against Petitioners. During the trial proceedings, Troup filed a petition…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of the offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced as a habitual offender to a term of imprisonment. Appellant later filed an amended pro se petition…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Opal Corn was rear-ended by Martha Gafford, she settled with Gafford and Gafford's insurer. Opal and L.B. Corn subsequently filed an underinsured motorist (UIM) claim with their insurer, Farmers Insurance Company,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee was charged with aggravated robbery, theft of property, and possession of firearms by certain persons. Appellee filed a motion to suppress the evidence obtained by Sherwood police officers on a home located…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, Appellant was convicted of theft of property. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se verified petition for relief pursuant to Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1. The trial court dismissed the petition on the basis…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a plea of nolo contendere to battery in the first degree and was sentenced as a habitual offender to 132 months' imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, after a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and rape and sentenced to death. Counsel was subsequently appointed to represent Appellant in postconviction proceedings. Counsel decided to forgo…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner pleaded guilty to multiple drug-related offenses. Petitioner's private counsel filed a timely notice appeal from the orders but, subsequently, was suspended from the practice of law. Petitioner filed pro se…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Lincoln County Circuit Court while he was incarcerated at an Arkansas Department of Correction facility in Lincoln County. Appellant was subsequently…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault Appellant and was required to register as a sex offender. The Arkansas Department of Correction Sex Offender Screening & Risk Assessment Program (SOSRA) assigned…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Appellant was arrested for delivery of a controlled substance, the police department confiscated Appellant's car and some cash. The State filed an in rem civil action for the forfeiture of $129 and the car but…

Justia Opinion Summary: After L.C. died, the probate court appointed his son, Bobby, as special personal representative of L.C.'s estate for the limited purpose of investigating and prosecuting all claims relating to nursing home abuse. On…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, Appellant pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 480 months' imprisonment. In 2012, Appellant filed a pro se complaint for declaratory judgment and petition for writ of mandamus against the…

Justia Opinion Summary: L.C. was a nursing home patient when he died. Bobby, L.C.'s son and the special personal representative of L.C.'s estate, filed suit against several nursing home defendants for negligence and medical malpractice. After…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and tampering with evidence and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed on appeal. Appellant later filed a pro se petition…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother and Father were divorced in 2011. Mother was awarded primary physical custody of the parties' two children, and Father was ordered to pay child support. In 2012, Father filed a motion for modification of custody.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of burglary and attempted rape and sentenced as a habitual offender to an aggregate term of 600 months in prison. Several years later, Appellant filed in the Hot Spring County…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the first degree and was sentenced to 660 months' imprisonment. Appellant later filed a two pro se petitions to correct a sentence illegal on its face and to reduce sentence,…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty in the Carroll County Circuit Court to first-degree stalking, kidnapping, residential burglary, and misdemeanor theft of property. In 2012, Appellant filed in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of multiple counts of unlawful charge of a firearm from a vehicle and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, after a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft of property and sentenced to an aggregate term of sixty-five years' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. In 2010, Appellant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Appellant entered a plea of guilty to aggravated robbery and battery in the second degree. Appellant's probation for an earlier conviction for aggravated assault was also revoked. The circuit court imposed an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant and her two uncles each owned as tenants in common an undivided one-third interest in two tracts of farmland. Both of Appellant's uncles separately sold their interest in the property to Appellee. Appellee…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to one count of rape in the Perry County Circuit Court and one count of rape in the Conway County Circuit Court and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Petitioners were convicted of various drug-related offenses. Petitioners subsequently filed a pro se joint petition seeking to have jurisdiction reinvested in the trial court to consider a petition for writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed. In 2011, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to Act 1780…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery. The Supreme Court affirmed. Eighty-three days after the mandate was issued, Appellant file a pro se request for postconviction relief, arguing that his…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the second degree. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder, committing a terroristic act, and using a firearm during the commission of a felony. Appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment plus a term of ten years.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder in furtherance of aggravated robbery and sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court, holding (1)…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of theft of property, and employing a firearm while committing the crimes. Seventy-three days after the court of appeals issued its mandate…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1983, Petitioner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In 2004, Petitioner filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to act 1780 or 2001 in which he…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced as a habitual offender to an aggregate term of life imprisonment without parole. Appellant subsequently field a pro se…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms. Petitioner did not appeal…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis in his criminal case, which was denied. Petitioner subsequently filed a motion for belated appeal in order to challenge the order denying his motion.…

Justia Opinion Summary: While an inmate in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) East Arkansas Regional Unit (EARU), Appellant stabbed a correctional officer in the chest with a piece of fence wire. Consequently, Appellant was transferred…

Justia Opinion Summary: Randy Wardlaw lived in a rental house on India Bishop's property. Wardlaw, who occasionally helped Bishop with tasks, was burning dead vegetation in a drainage ditch on Bishop's property when the fire burned out of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a plea of guilty to attempted capital murder, aggravated robbery, and three counts of aggravated assault. Appellant was sentenced to serve an aggregate sentence of 660 months' imprisonment. Appellant…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed suit against Defendant for breach of a real estate contract after Defendant was unable to acquire financing to purchase a home owned by Plaintiffs. Defendant filed a third-party complaint against his…

Justia Opinion Summary: On July 11, 2012, Appellees filed a complaint for declaratory judgment and mandamus in the circuit court requesting that the court enter an order (1) declaring that the filing period for independent candidates for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed. After unsuccessfully pursuing various postconviction remedies, Appellant filed…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this school-funding dispute, a school district (District) filed an action on its own behalf and on behalf of its taxpayers to enjoin state actions in violation of state law and the Arkansas Constitution. The District…

Justia Opinion Summary: Several government entities (the class representatives) and all others similarly situated brought a class-action complaint against several online travel companies (OTCs) who marketed hotel rooms in Arkansas and elsewhere…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder in a shooting death and sentenced to 480 months' imprisonment. The conviction was affirmed on appeal. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and the manufacture, delivery, or possession of marijuana and was sentenced to 120 months' incarceration. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of rape and sentenced to 720 months' imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief under Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1, raising several grounds…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Appellant appealed, arguing (1) the circuit court should have granted his motion for acquittal because at…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was conviction of first-degree murder and sentenced as a habitual offender to 720 months' imprisonment. No appeal was taken from the judgment. Appellant subsequently filed a writ of error coram…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of several felonies and sentenced to life imprisonment as a habitual offender. The Supreme Court affirmed on appeal, holding (1) the circuit court did not err in denying…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to multiple felony offenses and was sentenced to an aggregate term of 420 months' imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed in the Mississippi County trial court a pro se petition for writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, Appellant was convicted of rape and sentenced as a habitual offender to a term of forty years imprisonment. In 2000, Appellant was convicted of first-degree battery and sentenced as a habitual offender to sixty…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of murder in the first degree. The jury declared that Appellant's sentence of 480 months' imprisonment should be enhanced by an additional term of 180 months' imprisonment for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff obtained a last will and testament from LegalZoom.com. Before receiving the requested document, Plaintiff agreed to LegalZoom.com's terms of service, which included an arbitration provision. The agreement also…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, arguing that he was insane or mentally incompetent at the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was in the business of extending high-risk loans to customers with poor credit ratings and operated primarily in Louisiana. Appellees, who resided in Arkansas, obtained four loans from Appellant at its location…

Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Conway and Conway Corporation (collectively, "Conway") filed a land condemnation action against Petitioners, property owners. The morning of trial, Petitioners requested a continuance. The circuit court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Randy Russell filed for divorce from Andrea Russell in 2006, alleging general indignities. Andrea counterclaimed, alleging the same grounds. After a trial, the circuit court issued a divorce decree that ordered Randy to…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of second-degree forgery and theft by receiving. Appellant appealed, arguing that there was insufficient corroboration to support the forgery conviction and insufficient…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Petitioner later filed a second petition seeking to have jurisdiction reinvested in…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of several drug-related sentences. The conviction was affirmed on appeal. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief, alleging ineffective…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and of using a firearm during the commission of the felony. Appellant appealed, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder. More than fifteen years after the judgment had been entered, Appellant filed a motion to vacate, set aside, and discharge his conviction seeking fingerprint…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder. In 2012, Appellant filed a motion "challenging statutory construction and interpretation" and seeking a "judgment of acquittal" on his conviction. The circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Grant County circuit court. In 2012, Appellant filed in the Grant County circuit court a motion seeking a hearing on the denial…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to rape. Consequently, the trial court revoked Appellant's probationary sentences for three counts of first-degree carnal abuse. Appellant was sentenced accordingly. The Arkansas Department of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1985, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery, and in 1986, Appellant was convicted of a separate robbery. In 2010, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, contending in the circuit court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated assault and sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment. Petitioner subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Jackson County Circuit Court, stating that she was incarcerated at a facility in Jackson County. Appellant was subsequently transferred to a facility in…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to multiple felony offenses, including the Class Y felony offense of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. The trial court later granted the State's petition to revoke the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, the county prosecutor filed a delinquency petition against Appellee, who was sixteen years old at the time. Appellee later pled no contest to the charge of sexual assault in the second degree, and the circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants filed four separate cases stemming from the Arkansas Department of Education's (ADE) administrative supervision of the Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) after the district was found to be in…

Justia Opinion Summary: This case stemmed from a dispute among the owners of an oil-drilling rig. Donald Buffington owned 62.5 percent of the rig. Newton Dorsett, through his company, Diamond Transport & Drilling, owned the remaining 37.5…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of five counts of committing a terroristic act and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1991, Appellee pled guilty to first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree false imprisonment. After Appellee was paroled in 1995, he was required to register as a sex offender. In 2012, Appellee sought an order…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to rape and first-degree sexual assault in 2003. In 2007 and 2011, Appellant filed three pro se petitions for writs of error coram nobis. In 2012, the circuit court denied the petitions in a single…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to two counts of rape in the Garland County Circuit Court. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the trial court in Garland County. At the time the petition was…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Petitioner was convicted of three felony offenses and sentenced to life imprisonment. Petitioner subsequently filed a petition for leave to proceed in the trial court pursuant to Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1984, Appellant was charged in drew County with rape. The trial was held in Ashley County. A jury found Appellant guilty, and the judgment-and-commitment order was entered in Drew County. Appellant challenged the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. More than two decades later, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the circuit court, alleging…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of pseudoephedrine. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and theft of property and was sentenced to an aggregate term of 348 years' imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to aggravated robbery in 2009. In 2011, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging that the judgment-and-commitment order was invalid because the trial court failed to…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was convicted of murder in the first degree and battery in the third degree. Appellant's conviction was affirmed on appeal. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas…

Justia Opinion Summary: Tammye and Justin were divorced in 2010 by way of a consent divorce decree that included a property-settlement agreement. In 2011, Tammye filed a motion to increase child support, asserting that there had been a material…

Justia Opinion Summary: A circuit court affirmed an administrative decision from the Arkansas Department of Human Serices Office of Appeals and Hearings which placed Appellant Jose Marrufo on the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry. On…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company petitioned for a writ of prohibition with the Supreme Court, arguing the circuit court did not have jurisdiction after ninety days to set aside its previous…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Dellemond Cunningham was found guilty of being an accomplice to aggravated robbery, theft of property, and of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to intimidating a witness. He received a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Lloyal Bryant was convicted of rape and second-degree sexual assault. He received an aggregate life sentence plus forty years'. He filed pro se a petition for post-conviction relief, which was ultimately…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Ronald McClure entered a negotiated guilty plea to first-degree murder. He received a 540-month sentence. Appellant pro se filed a petition for the writ of error coram nobis, alleging that because of his trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Rusty Meek pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine and hydrocodone) with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use. He was sentenced as a habitual…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Earl Maxwell entered a negotiated guilty plea to two counts of delivery of methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to deliver, and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia. He was given a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The circuit court found no merit to defendant Frank Watts, II's pro se petition for the writ of habeas corpus and dismissed it. Defendant appealed that decision. Finding no clear error to the circuit court's decision,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of multiple drug-related offenses. The court of appeals affirmed. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief, alleging that his trial counsel was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1994, Defendant pled guilty to attempted rape and to violation of a minor. Defendant committed the offenses in 1992 or 1993. Defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of twenty years' imprisonment for the attempted…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, Defendant was convicted of rape. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief, alleging that he was afforded ineffective assistance of counsel. The circuit court denied the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of rape and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment. Petitioner subsequently filed a pro se petition seeking to have jurisdiction reinvested in the trial court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was fined in the district court for driving sixteen miles over the speed limit. On appeal, Defendant was convicted of speeding in excess of fifteen miles per hour over the speed limit. The court of appeals…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief, alleging…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief, which was denied. Thereafter, Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Appellant pled guilty to failure to register as a convicted sex offender by virtue of a 1994 conviction for rape. In 2006, he pled guilty to the same charge. In 2008, Appellant's rape conviction was vacated, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants filed a class action complaint against TV Guide Online Holdings, claiming that, upon accessing TV Guide's website, TV Guide downloaded a Flash cookie onto their computers without their knowledge or consent.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Hernandezes (Hernandez) entered into a real-estate contract to buy 100 acres of land in Van Buren County from the Humphries (Humphries). The sales contract included the mineral rights to the property. However,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Employee was employer at Employer's aluminum-processing plant from 1957 to 1989. In 2009, Employee filed an occupational-disease claim for benefits with the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission, alleging that he…

Justia Opinion Summary: After A.S.'s sister suffered a nonaccidental death, the circuit court found A.S. dependent-neglected. A termination hearing was subsequently held, after which the circuit court found termination of Mother's parental…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of kidnapping and rape. The Supreme Court affirmed. Petitioner subsequently filed two pro se petitions seeking to have jurisdiction reinvested in the trial court to consider a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to several drug offenses in 2006. The circuit court sentenced Defendant to thirty-six months' imprisonment along with eighty-four months' suspended imposition in sentence. In 2010, the State…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with second-degree sexual assault of K.J., a person less than fourteen years old, who was Defendant's cousin. Prior to trial, Defendant filed a motion under Ark. Code Ann. 16-42-101(c), Arkansas's…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Defendant appealed, arguing that the circuit court erred in denying his motion to suppress incriminating statements he made to police…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Appellant appealed, contending that the circuit court erred in denying her motion to suppress physical evidence…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to terroristic threatening in the first degree and was placed on five years' supervised probation. Because Appellant violated the conditions of his probation, his probation was revoked and he was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellees, Sherry and Kevin Wilburn, purchased a vehicle that they financed by executing a retail installment sales contract with Appellant. After Appellees failed to make payments as agreed in the contract, Appellant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Husband and Wife were granted a divorce pursuant to a decree of divorce. The decree incorporated a property settlement between the parties specifying that Husband would pay Wife spousal support until either…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Petitioner was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of an eleven-year-old girl. In the course of Petitioner's trial, the prosecution introduced evidence consisting of a videotape of a child getting in and…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft of property and sentenced to 1080 months' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se verified petition…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was convicted of unspecified offenses. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of error coram nobis, alleging numerous claims. The trial court denied the petition, finding…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a drug premises, and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, for which he was sentenced…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced as a habitual offender to a term of life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed. Petitioner subsequently filed a…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of aggravated residential burglary, two counts of aggravated robbery, and battery in the first degree. An order was later entered relieving Petitioner's retained attorney of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC), filed a complaint against certain ADC authorities in their official capacities, seeking injunctive relief and damages against Appellees for their…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Appellant submitted a petition for nomination for city director, the city clerk informed Appellant that her petition did not meet the statutory requirement of having fifty qualified electors. Appellant subsequently…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a petition against Defendants alleging a single cause of action for fraud. Plaintiff claimed that he purchased a house only after Defendants had misrepresented the location of the property's corners and…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Defendant was convicted of unidentified crimes. Defendant filed a petition for postconviction relief, contending that the circuit court erred in finding that his trial counsel did not render ineffective…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of rape, kidnapping, and first-degree terroristic threatening and sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to 480 months' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed three postconviction petitions, one filed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Alpha Marketing brought this cause of action against the Arkansas Lottery Commission seeking declaratory relief that Alpha's registered trademarks of "Arkansas Lottery," "Arkansas Lotto," and "Lottery Arkansas" were…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed a claim for benefits associated with an injury he received during his employment. The Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commissioned denied the claim based on a finding that Appellant tested positive for…

Justia Opinion Summary: SEECO, Inc. owned oil-and-gas leases and possessed rights authorizing it to explore for and develop minerals from several tracts of land. SEECO filed an interpleader action to determine the ownership of the oil, gas, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant received an injury during his employment with Appellee. The Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission denied Appellant's claim for benefits based on a finding that Appellant tested positive for illegal drugs…

Justia Opinion Summary: Pulaski County issued an assessment and taxation of property owned by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). On behalf of UAMS, Appellant (the University) filed a tax-exemption application seeking an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Decedent became a resident of Golden Living Center, a nursing home, in 2009. Later that year, Courtyard Gardens took over ownership and operation of the facility. Thereafter, Decedent's son, Ronald Quarles signed a new…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Husband, who was a resident of Benton County, filed for divorce in Benton County, Wife, who filed for divorce later that same day in Washington County, moved to dismiss Husband's complaint, asserting that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The circuit court terminated Appellant's parental rights to her three children. Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal and an amended notice of appeal. However, neither the notice of appeal or the amended notice of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to death and life imprisonment, respectively. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana. Appellant subsequently filed a timely pro se petition seeking postconviction relief, asserting that his…

Justia Opinion Summary: The circuit court found Defendant guilty, as a habitual offender, to two drug offenses. The court sentenced Defendant to concurrent terms of five years in the Arkansas Department of Correction with an additional ten…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was charged by felony information with two counts of rape and one count of robbery. After the jury deadlocked, the circuit court declared a mistrial. Prior to the retrial, Defendant filed a motion to dismiss,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee pleaded guilty to first-degree false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Appellee subsequently filed a petition for writ of error coram nobis, asking the circuit court to vacate the entry of his guilty plea due…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Plaintiff was hired as the chief of police for the City of McRae. The Mayor terminated Plaintiff's employment in 2009 for allegedly falsifying fire-department records and for insubordination. The city council…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, the State filed a petition to remove Sheriff Kenny Cassell from office, alleging that Cassell had pled guilty in 1979 to a violation of 18 U.S.C. 659, that Cassell had committed the crime while serving as a…

Justia Opinion Summary: This dispute centered on a contract for the construction of a residence. The contract between the general contractor (Contractor) and the owners (Owners) was contingent upon Owners obtaining financing. After construction…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder, battery in the first degree, and two counts of aggravated robbery. Appellant was sentenced to an aggregate sentence of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant filed a timely pro…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted for theft of property and sentenced to 120 months' imprisonment. The judgment was not appealed. Appellant subsequently filed in the trial court a petition for reduction of sentence but did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse and sentenced to life imprisonment. For his sole argument on appeal, Defendant contended that the circuit court erred in refusing…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, the circuit court convicted Defendant of aggravated assault on a family or household member. The court also determined that a child was present during the commission of the offense. The sentencing…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Defendant appealed, arguing that the circuit court erred in denying (1) his motion…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was born during the marriage of Mother and Father. Upon Mother and Father's divorce in 1993, Father was ordered to pay child support. In 2011, Appellant, then age twenty, filed a complaint against Father to…

Justia Opinion Summary: While Defendant was performing laparoscopic surgery to remove Plaintiff's left ovary, Plaintiff's bowel was perforated. Plaintiff required a colostomy to repair the perforation. Plaintiff filed a claim alleging medical…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft of property in the armed robbery of two bank employees as they were filling an ATM machine. The Supreme Court affirmed. Seventy-four days after…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of capital murder and two counts of aggravated robbery. Appellant was sentenced consecutively to two sentences of life imprisonment without parole for the capital…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of theft of property. Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment on each aggravated robbery conviction. Defendant appealed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was employed by Employer when he suffered a compensable work-related brain injury. Appellant, who was permanently and totally disabled, filed a workers' compensation claim seeking benefits and also requested…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 720 months' imprisonment. Petitioner subsequently filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to have jurisdiction reinvested in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft of property in the armed robbery of two bank employees as they were filling an ATM machine. Petitioner subsequently filed a petition in the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to death. After the Supreme Court affirmed, Appellant filed a petition for postconviction relief pursuant to Ark. R. Crim. P.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of failing to comply with registration and reporting requirements applicable to sex offenders and with residing within 2000 feet of a daycare facility for children. Appellant's…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, Appellant pleaded guilty to multiple felony offenses and was sentenced to 564 months' imprisonment. In 2012, Appellant filed a pro se petition to correct an illegal sentence, contending that, inter alia, he was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the circuit court's denial of Defendant's petition for writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: A construction company and its principals (collectively, Appellants) hired a plumbing company (Peters), excavation company (Bostic), and marble company (Esquire) as subcontractors for the construction of Appellants'…

Justia Opinion Summary: Booker T. Washington, Jr. filed a claim against Porocel Corporation with the Workers' Compensation Commission, alleging exposure to asbestos and silica dust resulting in lung disease and silicosis. An ALJ found…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee contracted with the Arkansas Department of Career Education, Division of Rehabilitation Services (ARS) to provide psychological and other services. Appellee contacted the United States Office of the Inspector…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery. Defendant appealed, arguing, inter alia, that his sentence of life without parole violated his rights under the Eighth Amendment to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Following a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence. Appellant subsequently filed a timely pro se…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of rape. Appellant subsequently filed a timely petition for postconviction relief. On the same day, Appellant filed a memorandum of law in support of the petition. In…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of residential burglary and rape and sentenced to an aggregate term of fifteen years' imprisonment. Appellant's motion seeking leave to proceed with a belated appeal was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner entered a guilty plea to battery in the second degree and was sentenced to sixty months' imprisonment. Petitioner subsequently filed a timely pro se petition for postconviction relief, which the trial court…

Justia Opinion Summary: Developers purchased forty acres with the intent to develop it. Appellants secured a mortgage on the property with a bank. Later Developers formed a municipal property owners' district (the District). Law Firm was…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Appellant was charged with capital murder and kidnapping he entered a negotiated plea to first-degree murder. Appellant later filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging, inter alia, the trial court lacked…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants, state police officers, brought this suit individually and on behalf of a class consisting of members of the Arkansas State Police Retirement System (ASPRS), contending that various state defendants had…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was a police department officer when he arrested Appellee for disorderly conduct and refusal to submit to arrest. Appellee was convicted of both offenses. The circuit court subsequently overturned the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of residential burglary and attempted rape. The court of appeals affirmed the convictions and sentence. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief and a petition for writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, an inmate, filed a petition for postconviction relief. Petitioner was represented in the proceeding by his retained attorney (Attorney). No appeal was taken from the order, and Petitioner filed a pro se…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of sexual assault in the second degree. The Supreme Court reversed the conviction and remanded for a new trial, holding (1) the testimony of a witness regarding a prior…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate, filed a petition for postconviction relief, which the trial court denied. Appellant appealed and filed two motions asserting that the record on appeal was incomplete, that the missing portions were…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was arrested for several crimes, and the circuit court set Defendant's bail at $75,000. A bail-bond agent executed the bond and Defendant was released from jail. When the bail-bond company attempted to present…

Justia Opinion Summary: In Hobbs v. Jones, Petitioners challenged Arkansas's method-of-execution statute (the statute). Prior to submission, Petitioners filed renewed motions for stays of execution during the pendency of their appeal, which the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Blair Stautzenberger served as the guardian of his mother's estate. After her death, two of Blair's siblings, Duane and Michael Stautzenberger, challenged Blair's management of the estate. The trial court disallowed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to one count of delivery of a controlled substance. The trial court revoked Appellant's probation and imposed a sentence of 132 months' incarceration. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to false imprisonment, theft of property, and domestic battery committed in the presence of a child. Appellant was sentenced as a habitual offender to an aggregate term of 1560 months' imprisonment.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of capital murder and four counts of committing a terroristic act. The Supreme Court affirmed Appellant's convictions and sentence. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of possession of firearms by a felon, and two counts of misdemeanor theft. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of capital murder in the death of Odilon Guerrero during an aggravated robbery. Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of the rape of his minor daughter and sentenced to life imprisonment. The attorney appointed to represent Appellant on appeal of the conviction filed a motion to withdraw as…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree and to two counts of rape. Appellant subsequently filed a motion to withdraw the guilty plea in the cases pursuant to Ark. R. Crim. P. 26.1. The trial court…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of the rape of two sisters, who were minors at the time of the offenses. The court of appeals affirmed. Appellant subsequently timely filed a pro se petition for postconviction…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was found guilty of the rape of a seven-year-old child and was sentenced as a habitual offender to a term of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate serving time for criminal offenses, filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, contending (1) he was subjected to an unnecessarily suggestive pretrial identification by his victims, (2) his…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1995, Appellant was convicted of rape and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment. In 2012, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, contending, inter alia, that his sentence of life…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to thirty years' imprisonment. The court of appeals affirmed. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief, alleging…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pled guilty to failure to comply with sex-offender-registration requirements and to violating conditions of his probated sentence. The circuit court sentenced Appellant in accordance with the plea agreement.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of the offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction but remanded for resentencing. Before a new sentencing order was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wanda Stephens purchased property in Little Rock consisting of Tract A and Tract B. In 2001, Wanda executed a quitclaim deed to the Stephens Family Limited Partnership (SFLP) and mortgaged the property to Regions…

Justia Opinion Summary: This appeal was a companion to another case handed down on this same date, Chase Bank USA, N.A. v. Regions Bank. The appeal involved challenges only to postjudgment matters in the case. Subsequent to Chase Bank filing…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, an inmate, filed a pro se complaint seeking an injunction to require Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin to place Appellant's name as a candidate for President of the United States on the 2012 Democratic…

Justia Opinion Summary: State Farm filed a complaint for negligence against Appellant, alleging that Appellant was at fault in an automobile accident with State Farm's insured. Appellant counterclaimed, alleging that State Farm was unjustly…

Justia Opinion Summary: Holline and William Parsons (Plaintiffs) were enrolled in Today's Option, a Medicare Advantage Plan sponsored by the Pyramid Life Insurance Company (Pyramid). After Plaintiffs were each disenrolled from their respective…

Justia Opinion Summary: Four independent shippers, all located outside Arkansas, engaged Western Brokerage, a transportation broker in Arizona, to arrange for the transportation of produce from Arizona to Pennsylvania and New York. Western…

Justia Opinion Summary: Circle D Contractors filed suit in district court to collect from the Bartletts money owed for the installation of a swimming pool. The district court ruled in favor of Circle D. The Barletts appealed. Circle D did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 720 months' imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. In 2011, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to Act 1780 of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the circuit court did not err by failing to grant a directed verdict,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual indecency with a minor for the rape of his two granddaughters and sexual indecencies on a third granddaughter. Defendant appealed, arguing that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was found guilty by a jury of violating a protective order (judgment-and-commitment order) and was sentenced to fifty-four months' imprisonment. His probation for a prior offense was revoked on the grounds…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, after a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery, three counts of kidnapping, attempted capital murder, theft of property, aggravated assault, felony fleeing, and misdemeanor fleeing. The court…

Justia Opinion Summary: After Mother gave birth to Child, Grandmother filed a petition to establish grandparent visitation with Child, which was granted. Couple subsequently filed a petition seeking to adopt Child, and the circuit judge entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed a complaint against his employer (Employer), alleging that he was terminated in retaliation for asserting his rights under the Arkansas workers' compensation statutes. After the case was removed to…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant submitted a proposal to the City of Pine Bluff Planning Commission requesting a Use Permitted on Review permit to utilize certain premises in Pine Bluff as a foster-care facility for displaced children. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted and sentenced in the underlying criminal case. Defendant subsequently filed a pro se motion seeking leave to file a pro se petition for rehearing, challenging the admissibility of certain evidence…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed a pro se petition for writ of mandamus in the Supreme Court, alleging that the circuit court judge failed to act in a timely manner on a petition for postconviction relief Petitioner filed in 2009. While…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of several counts of breaking or entering and theft of property and sentenced to 480 months' incarceration. After the judgment was affirmed on appeal, Appellant filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. The Supreme Court affirmed. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief, contending that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was charged with capital murder and permitting the abuse of a minor by felony information on March 20, 2012. Petitioner pled not guilty to the charges, and the court set the case for jury trial on October 22,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial in 2003, Appellant was found guilty of capital murder and first-degree battery and sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment without parole. In 2013, Appellant filed a pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The State appealed from a circuit court order dismissing its in rem forfeiture petition against real property located in Little Rock. The circuit court dismissed the petition based upon a finding that Ark. Code Ann.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus in the circuit court where he was incarcerated. The circuit court dismissed the petition on May 31, 2012, and Petitioner sought reconsideration. The motion for…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated robbery, misdemeanor theft of property, and felony theft of property. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, asking that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Appellant's sentence was enhanced for committing the crimes within 1000 feet…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of the first-degree murder of Michael Fox, who suffered three stab wounds. Defendant was sentenced to life in prison. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence,…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant filed in the circuit court a pro se petition for postconviction relief. Appellant indicated in the heading to the petition that the petition encompassed six cases, and Appellant further indicated that he had…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted in 2011 on charges of third-degree battery and rape and sentenced to an aggregate sentence of 240 months imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus. Appellant…

Justia Opinion Summary: On May 2, 2011, Appellant filed a complaint alleging medical malpractice against Appellees. That same day, in accordance with the law at that time, the circuit court issued summonses stating that Appellees had twenty…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant requested her medical records from a medical clinic. Pursuant to its contract with Appellant's medical care provider, Healthport, Inc., a private company that fulfills such requests for medical records,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Searcy County Counsel for Ethical Government (SCCEG) filed a complaint seeking a declaratory judgment that Johnny Hinchey, a Searcy County Judge, neglected his duties of office when he failed to sell and convey a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Crafton, Tull, Sparks & Associates (CTSA) appealed an order of the circuit court finding that CTSA's lien was second in priority to Appellee Metropolitan National Bank's lien on certain property. The circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: Johnny Washington and his son were traveling in their 1994 Ford Explorer when their vehicle was struck by a driver (Karah Williams) who had run a stop sign. The Explorer rolled over twice, fatally injuring Johnny.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of rape and first-degree sexual abuse and sentenced to life imprisonment and ten years' imprisonment, respectively. Defendant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was charged by felony information filed in March 2011 with the December 2001 rape of his then-thirteen-year-old stepdaughter. At the time of the alleged rape, the statute of limitations provided that a…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of four counts of rape for which he received four consecutive terms of life imprisonment. The victim was less than fourteen years old when the rapes were committed. Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted on criminal charges and sentenced to a term of incarceration. Petitioner subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief pursuant to Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1. The circuit court denied…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendant in 1998, alleging that Defendant had breached a retail installment contract. After twelve months of no action of record, the circuit court dismissed the case without…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Diane Ausman, the administrator of the Estate of Daniel Ausman, filed a complaint on August 24, 2009 against a geriatric center and doctor, alleging, among other claims, medical negligence and negligence.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant issued a motorcycle insurance policy to Brian McCallum that contained accident and healthcare coverage. The policy included a provision for subrogation of payments made for any injury caused by a third party.…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, voters in the Fayetteville School District approved a 2.75 new-debt-service mills that would be a continuing debt service tax until the retirement of proposed bonds to be issued for the purpose of erecting and…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a plea of guilty in Howard County to breaking or entering and theft of property. While incarcerated, Appellant filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus contending that Howard County did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellants Ricky Bruner and Melissa Workman were convicted of first-degree battery against their son. Bruner was sentenced to forty years in prison, and Workman received a sentence of life…

Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered a conditional plea of guilty to driving without a driver's license. Defendant reserved the right to appeal the circuit court's denial of his motion to suppress evidence found in what he claimed was an…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of second-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a minor, and fleeing. Appellant received a total sentence of 1188 months' imprisonment. Appellant filed a notice of direct appeal, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: On November 15, 2011, Appellants filed a petition to modify a judgment entered on July 26, 2011 that granted two individuals a private road across property owned by Appellants. In Appellants' November petition they…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, arguing that his…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to the death penalty. After a mandatory review of Petitioner's conviction and sentence, the Supreme Court issued a mandate affirming the trial court's judgment.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to the death penalty for the murder of a twelve-year-old. Following his conviction, Petitioner filed a waiver of his right to appeal and postconviction review.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a conditional plea of guilty to one count of commercial burglary, reserving his right to appeal the denial of his motion to dismiss for a speedy-trial violation. On appeal, Appellant argued that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. Forty-four months after the judgment of conviction had been entered against him, Appellant filed a petition…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of capital felony murder and aggravated robbery, with a firearm enhancement on each count. Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted of violating a protective order (judgment-and-commitment order). His probation of a prior offense (revocation order) was revoked because Petitioner had violated the order of protection. The court…

Justia Opinion Summary: A disciplinary action was imposed upon Appellant, an inmate of the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). Appellant filed a petition for judicial review and declaratory judgment seeking to challenge the dismissal of…

Justia Opinion Summary: After the Garland County elected treasurer, Jo West Taylor, had received monthly retirement checks for over a year from the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS), the APERS executive director terminated…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellees Edgar and Clara Shelton filed a complaint against St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, Catholic Health Initiatives (collectively, Appellants) and Golden Living Center, alleging negligence, medical malpractice,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Arkansas Department of Community Correction (DCC) owned a prison complex in Jefferson County that was part of several tracts of state land annexed to the City of Pine Bluff in 1999. The property was automatically…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was charged with capital murder and subsequently entered a negotiated plea of guilty to first-degree murder and received a sentence of 420 months' imprisonment. Appellant filed a timely pro se petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to death and life imprisonment. The circuit court denied Appellant's subsequent motion for postconviction relief that alleged ineffective…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, proceeding pro se, sought a writ of mandamus and other relief on claims that Circuit Judge David Reynolds had failed to act promptly on pro se pleadings in two criminal cases filed against Petitioner. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Upon stopping Defendant and boarding his boat to perform a safety check, an enforcement division officer of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission concluded that Defendant was under the influence of alcohol. Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1997, Petitioner was convicted of multiple felony offenses. An aggregate term of life imprisonment was imposed. Petitioner later attempted to pursue postconviction relief, but his efforts were dismissed. In 2012,…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of rape and sexual abuse and sentenced to an aggregate term of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed. More than seventeen years after he was convicted of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Petitioner was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree battery. Petitioner subsequently filed a timely pro se petition for postconviction relief, which the trial court denied.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was found guilty of sexual assault in the second degree and rape and was sentenced to an aggregate term of 720 months' imprisonment. Twenty-one months after the court of appeals issued a mandate affirming the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was imprisoned for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Appellant subsequently filed in the circuit court of the country where he was imprisoned a pro…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to theft by receiving, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. Appellant subsequently filed in the circuit court where he was…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed a complaint alleging that, without their knowledge, the City had erected a sewer line across Plaintiffs' property. Plaintiffs contended that in doing so, the City damaged a water pipe owned by Plaintiffs…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was a prisoner serving a life sentence on a capital-murder conviction. Appellant filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the circuit court of the county where he was incarcerated, claiming that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff was employed by a staffing company and had been contracted to work at Gates Rubber Company (Gates) when he suffered an injury to his arm and hand, including the severing of fingers. Plaintiff alleged that Total…

Justia Opinion Summary: This appeal arose from a medical helicopter accident in Arkansas. Employer was the owner and operator of the helicopter and provided air-ambulance services to the area. Nurse and EMT (collectively, Appellants) and Pilot…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner filed in the circuit court in the county where he was incarcerated a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging, among other claims, that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. The circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, Appellant was convicted of multiple felony-drug charges and sentenced to an aggregate life sentence. In 2012, Appellant filed a motion to vacate a void judgment. The circuit court denied the motion, determining…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 1996, Appellant pled guilty to multiple felony offenses. An aggregate sentence of 720 months' imprisonment was imposed. In 2012, Appellant filed a pro se petition to correct an illegal sentence pursuant to Ark. Code…

Justia Opinion Summary: The State commenced criminal proceedings against Petitioner by filing an information charging him with second-degree sexual assault. Petitioner filed a pro se motion to dismiss the charge on the basis of a speedy-trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: Newton Dorsett, Donald Buffington, Richard Williamson, and Diamond Transport & Drilling were owners of an oil-drilling rig. After disputes arose among the owners, the parties entered into a compromise agreement.…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of capital murder, criminal attempt to commit capital murder, and aggravated robbery. Defendant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief. The circuit…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 420 months' imprisonment. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for postconviction relief, which the trial court denied. Appellant appealed and filed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Appellant subsequently filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus. The trial court denied the petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant was an inmate in the Department of Correction serving a life sentence. Appellant filed a complaint against the governor, the chairman of the parole board, and the chairman of the board of correction seeking a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant pled guilty to two counts of theft of property valued at over $2,500 for the theft of lottery tickets and one count of felony fraud for the cashing of the lottery tickets. The circuit court ordered that…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant entered a negotiated plea of guilty to aggravated robbery and theft of property. Appellant's subsequent motion to vacated the judgment against him was denied. More than six years from the date of Appellant's…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of first-degree felony murder and first-degree battery and failure to stop after an accident with injury or death. Appellant appealed, contending that the trial court erred by…

Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by certain persons. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se petition for postconviction relief. Circuit Judge Susan Hickey…

Justia Opinion Summary: A judgment was entered reflecting that Appellant entered a plea of guilty to delivery of a controlled substance. Appellant was placed on probation for 120 months. An amended judgment-and-commitment order was entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was convicted of eleven counts of distributing, possessing, or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. The court imposed an aggregate sentence of 108 months' imprisonment.…