Villines v. Lee

Once again we have litigants caught short in the morass of subject-matter jurisdiction between our chancery and circuit courts. And once again this has occurred after trial on the merits, without either party or the trial court detecting that there might be a problem with jurisdiction; the parties do not even raise the issue on appeal.

Of course, we have repeatedly addressed this issue. We have said that it is well established that subject-matter jurisdiction is determined from the pleadings. Maroney v. City of Malvern, 320 Ark. 671, 899 S.W.2d 476 (1995). Further, subject-matter jurisdiction…