Whisnant v. Whisnant

This is an unusual case raising questions concerning the authority of a chancellor to act after he recuses. The parties were granted a divorce in 1996 by a decree that reserved certain issues relating to property and marital debt for future adjudication. After two subsequent hearings, the chancellor adjudicated the remaining property and debt issues in a letter opinion dated June 3, 1998. By a letter dated August 5, 1998, the chancellor notified the parties that he was recusing, but no order transferring this case to another division or appointing another judge appears in the record. The…