Matthew operates the Thompson Law Firm, pllc, a Mississippi based Family Law firm emphasizing; Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Modification, Contempt and Appeals, handling family law cases throughout Mississippi.
(601) 850-8000 Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms www.BowTieLawyer.ms
It is illegal to sell cat meat in Mississippi for human consumption.
MS Code § 97-27-19
If any person shall sell or offer for sale as human food, the flesh of any animal which shall have died a natural death, or been killed or injured by any accident; or shall sell, or offer for sale, or ship for sale, as human food, the flesh of any diseased animal, or of any dog, cat, or other like unclean animal, such person shall be fined, on conviction, not less than one hundred dollars and imprisoned not less than thirty days.
Maybe this one isn’t so crazy…
Happy Holidays!!
Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney in Mississippi and is grateful for the farmers/cattlemen and chicken farmers throughout the State!!
The roots of Thanksgiving celebrations began when President Washington called for a civic celebration to unify Americans in the shared blessings of freedom in 1789.
He called upon our Creator to “render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed.”
Seven decades later, factional divisions split Americans into Civil War.
In 1863, Lincoln issued a proclamation to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November.
For years leading up to President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation, a prominent author, Sarah Josepha Hale, lobbied for a national day of thanksgiving to unify Americans. She advocated for the holiday to become an “American custom and institution.”
Just a few months following the Battle of Gettysburg, the deadliest battle of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed the proclamation to implore “the Almighty Hand” to help “heal the wounds of the nation.”
In what can only occur in our modern, social media-driven times, a North Carolina woman is found liable for breaking up a marriage and ordered to pay $1.75 million dollars to the wronged spouse. And her own TikTok videos were exhibits!!
Alienation of Affection allows the wronged spouse in a marriage to sue the “significant other” of the guilty spouse for the breakdown of the marriage. There are only 6 states in the country that still recognize AOA, but North Carolina and Mississippi are amongst them, and as recently as the 1990’s our Courts have refused to abolish this tort, reaffirming its place in the Mississippi legal system.
So what is AOA?
The elements are;
1) Wrongful Conduct (ie: adultery, though not required),
2) loss of affections, and
3) a causal connection.
All 3 must be present for a viable claim. There is a 3-year statute of limitations in which to bring the claim, beginning when the loss of affection is finally accomplished.
One of the issues that made this case especially egregious is that a tiktok video indicated that Brenay Kennard bought a pregnancy test after saying “I am getting down and dirty in the sheets.” At trial Kennard denied being sexually active at that time.
Another video featured Kennard saying, “I make her very uncomfortable.” Kennard admitted “her” referred to Akira Montague (the wife), but said “uncomfortable” could mean many things. She again denied being sexually active with Timothy Montague while he and Akira were together.
The jury did not buy it.
*As an aside, North Carolina has AOA and a separate tort called “criminal conversation” which only requires proof of sex with a married person for the “significant other” to be liable for damages. It does not require loss of affections or a causal connection or even a real relationship.
Thirteen years ago I typed these prophetic words, “So what is the take away here? Just because you are not married does not mean you have no culpability in an affair. You will be a necessary witness in the divorce case and stand a chance of getting sued yourself for AOA. And if you go to North Carolina, you better behave.“
$1.75 million dollars later and the above words are still true today!!
Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney in Mississippi and reminds you Alienation of Affection is alive and well and can make you pay!!
In what has to be one of the most bizarre stories of 2025 (of many, I know) is the Rankin County Road Rage incident.
The allegations include that an incident that began as a road rage episode on Grants Ferry Road ended with Walter Ainsworth shooting into the occupied vehicle of another.
The victim-driver stated she ducked down behind her door when the suspect fired a single shot into her vehicle. She stated she then sped off to the Reservoir Police Department where she then dialed 911.
Ainsworth was later arrested. Upon law enforcement obtaining search warrants, the following items were reportedly found;
a bulletproof vest,
two gas masks,
a pair of brass knuckles,
a baton,
handcuffs, and
a flamethrower.
A search of Ainsworth’s home also revealed,
a human skull and
a lower jawbone of a human skull.
Bond was denied!
As it turns out it is legal in most states to buy and possess human bones!
The BoneRoom has quite the assortment for sale now. They appear to be For Sale but NOT On $ale…!
For years Doctors have enjoyed the saying “I’m sure your WebMD is just as good as my actual M.D….
Self-diagnosing running rampant…
Well now ChatGPT has made everyone a lawyer.
Need a brief in response to a summary judgment motion?
In mere seconds a fully typed, cited and “winning” brief is at your fingertips.
Only, there’s just one problem…
It’s fake! The cites are fake. The rulings are made up and the cases and courts may not even exist.
Recently BigLaw and small firms have been swept up in AI legal malfeasance. It’s making the rounds and the news.
A federal judge has even been the target of an inquiry when a ghost ruling appeared with fictitious parties, fake facts and bad law! The order vanished and was replaced with a corrected one.
So be careful out there. We can no longer believe the news, the internet or our own eyes.
Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney that cites Westlaw and text books, such as Mississippi Divorce, Alimony and Child Custody, with forms.
Attorneys are easy targets for social media/rating review site criticism.
Sure, we can pay $450.00 dollars and get a plaque that says we are the Top Ten Bestest Attorneys in the Universe, but it’s easy for anyone to put hate out there too.
Yelp reviews, Facebook comments and all the other review/rating websites make it very easy to attack.
Ever wonder why reviews go largely unresponded to, or at best some generic, canned PC response?
It’s because lawyers can get in trouble for telling the truth!!
A recent Mississippi Bar Opinion even opines it an ethical violation to respond to an online complaint.
This, even if the client (now former client) makes the posting and discloses confidential information. They have the right to do that. The attorney in only limited circumstances can respond…
So just because you see a review doesn’t make it true. And, just because it was NOT immediately challenged with “receipts” doesn’t mean there’s something there.
Matthew Thompson is a lawyer that represents other lawyers with accusations of ethical violations.
“I’ll take this all the way to the Supreme Court!”
A fair amount of family law cases are appealed in Mississippi. All are appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court, most are assigned to the Mississippi Court of Appeals (COA). This means the COA will decide your appeal.
An appeal, typically, does not result in an outright win. Most appeals are denied, as the chancery courts in Mississippi have a tremendous amount of discretion. There must be a showing of abuse of discretion and/or manifest error for an appeal to be successful. But, even then it may only be a paper victory.
An appellate win usually results in a remand. Meaning sent back to the same Judge for a new hearing on the issue(s) that the lower Court got wrong, and it’s usually with instruction on what and how to try the matter.
This often results in delay, more court and frequently no actual change in the outcome. The other tough thing in family law appeals is that time marches on.
The appeal of a custody matter could look vastly different two-years later and the Court, while “correcting” the past error, cannot ignore the now-current circumstances.
Be carefully with appealing your case. Talk to your attorney about potential outcomes and whether or not it will change the result.
Matthew Thompson is a Mississippi appeals attorney and has participated in over 30 appeals.
Every licensee shall have the required license in his immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display the same, upon demand…of a peace officer or… or other authorized employee of the commissioner.
However, no person charged with violating this section shall be convicted if he produces in court a license theretofore issued to him and valid at the time of his arrest.
(601) 850-8000 - - BowTieLawyer.MS 