Rule 18 - Appointment of Valuation expert(a) In all domestic cases wherein equitable division of marital property is at issue, the Court must, prior to making the equitable division, determine the fair market value of all marital assets. The parties are encouraged to negotiate a reasonable agreement as to the value of each separate item of marital property, if possible. An agreement, signed by both parties and their counsels. setting forth the agreed value of any or all marital assets should be filed no later than the deadline for designation of experts. In the event that the parties are unable to agree on the fair market value of any or all marital assets by that deadline. counsel for Plaintiff should notify the Court by letter or other communication, with copy to all counsels of record. Such communication should be forwarded to the Court no later than 5:00 p.m. on the date of the deadline for designation of experts.(b) In the event the Court elects to appoint experts to value any or all marital properly, an Order Appointing M.R.E. 706 Experts shall be entered. The Order shall provide that the compensation for such experts shall be paid by the parties in such proportion and at such time as the Court directs, and thereafter charged in like manner as other costs. The parties will be required to deposit with the Court sufficient funds to cover the anticipated costs thereof.(c) Alternatively, in order to expedite the process of securing an expert pursuant to M.R.E. 706, the parties may agree to the appointment of an expert by the Court by the execution of an Agreed Order For Court Appointed Experts. The Court will thereafter select the name of the expert and the amount to be deposited by each party to be inserted in the Order.(d) Nothing contained herein shall limit the right of either party to retain an expert of their own.Miss. L. Chanc. Ct. R. 18
Adopted and approved by the Supreme Court by order entered 10/10/2019.