KING, Justice, for the Court:
¶ 1. In this replevin action, a tenant sued his landlord and a towing company, alleging wrongful possession of several vehicles towed from the property he leased from the landlord. The County Court of Hinds County granted the defendants' motion for involuntary dismissal, and also found that the landlord's use of self-help was lawful. The Hinds County Circuit Court affirmed. Finding that the plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to maintain the replevin action, the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the replevin action for a trial de novo between the plaintiff and the towing company. It also found the landlord's use of self-help to be unlawful, and reversed and rendered that issue in favor of the plaintiff. Because we find that both the trial court and the Court of Appeals improperly addressed the issue of the landlord's use of self-help, we reverse the judgments and remand the replevin action to the trial court for a trial de novo.
¶ 2. Most of the facts are taken from the Court of Appeals opinion.
Crowell v. Butts, 2012-CA-00763-COA, 153 So.3d 719, 721-22, 2013 WL 6442149, at *1 (Miss.Ct.App. Dec. 10, 2013). On October 14, 2010, Crowell filed a Complaint to Enforce Right of Possession in Realty in the County Court of Hinds County solely against Atkinson, alleging that her entry onto the property and her removal of the vehicles were improper. On November 4, 2010, the court entered an Agreed Order of Consolidation of the two cases. On January 4, 2011, Crowell moved to sever the two cases, admitting that the proper venue for one of the cases was in a different judicial district of Hinds County. The court granted severance on January 7, 2011, and a trial was held solely on the replevin action on May 3, 2011.
Crowell, 153 So.3d at 722, 2013 WL 6442149, at *1.
¶ 3. During Crowell's testimony, he began to testify about Atkinson's entry onto the property. The defense objected to the "whole line of questions" as irrelevant, noting that the defense had stipulated that Butts had the cars, and it was not relevant how they were obtained. The court sustained the objection. Crowell continued to
¶ 4. At the conclusion of Crowell's case-in-chief, Atkinson and Butts moved for directed verdict. The trial court granted the motion. Crowell appealed to the Hinds County Circuit Court, which affirmed the county court's decision. He then appealed to the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals found that Crowell had presented sufficient evidence to maintain his replevin action against Butts; thus the trial court's dismissal was manifestly erroneous. It thus reversed and remanded the issue for a trial de novo on the merits between Crowell and Butts. The Court of Appeals also found that the trial court had the jurisdiction to rule on the self-help "claim," and then found that Atkinson's use of self-help was unlawful, and thus reversed and rendered this issue.
¶ 5. Butts and Atkinson each filed a motion for rehearing with the Court of Appeals, both of which the Court of Appeals denied. Each filed a petition for certiorari with this Court. We denied Butts's petition for certiorari, but granted Atkinson's, which argued that the trial court and Court of Appeals improperly addressed the issue of whether her use of self-help was lawful, and in the alternative, that Atkinson's use of self-help was indeed lawful. Therefore, we limit our opinion to addressing the issues surrounding Atkinson's use of self-help.
¶ 6. "A motion for directed verdict granted by the court, sitting without a jury, is procedurally a dismissal on the merits under Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b)." Double J Farmlands, Inc. v. Paradise Baptist Church, 999 So.2d 826, 829 (Miss.2008). This Court reviews a grant or denial of a Rule 41(b) motion to dismiss under the substantial evidence/manifest error standard. Id. "In considering a motion to dismiss, the trial judge should consider the evidence fairly, as distinguished from in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, and should dismiss the case if it would find for the movant." Id. (internal quotations omitted). "The court must deny a motion to dismiss only if the judge would be obliged to find for the plaintiff if the plaintiff's evidence were all the evidence offered in the case." Stewart v. Merchants Nat'l Bank, 700 So.2d 255, 259 (Miss.1997) (quoting Century 21 Deep S. Props., Ltd. v. Corson, 612 So.2d 359, 369 (Miss.1992)).
¶ 7. The trial court found, on an objection to a line of questioning for relevance, that Atkinson's use of self-help was lawful. The Court of Appeals found that, under Hall v. Corbin, 478 So.2d 253 (Miss. 1985), the trial court had the jurisdiction to address the self-help issue as an "ancillary claim" to the replevin action, and then found that Atkinson's use of self help was unlawful. We find that both the trial court and the Court of Appeals erred by rendering judgment on this issue.
¶ 8. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court had jurisdiction to rule on the claim regarding self-help under Hall. We find this to be error, because Hall is
¶ 9. We do not suggest, however, that the trial court is prohibited from examining the issue of Atkinson's use of self-help in the context of the replevin action. Crowell must show that Butts "wrongfully took and detains or wrongfully detains" the automobiles. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-37-101(e) (Rev. 2012). As the Court of Appeals noted, "Crowell claims he has the superior right to possession through bailment" and title, and "Butts claims she rightfully possesses the vehicles because of the unpaid towing/storage fees." Crowell, 153 So.3d at 724, 2013 WL 6442149, at *4.
Miss.Code Ann. § 85-7-251(1) (Rev. 2011). It is unclear from the record, given that a complete trial was not held, whether the vehicles in question met the standards outlined in the statute, including whether the vehicles had been left without permission of the property owner for more than five days. Furthermore, as the Court of Appeals noted, "[t]his section does not distinguish between a property owner's lawful or unlawful towing request.... It remains unclear whether Atkinson's request gave Butts superior authority to retain possession of the vehicles under the statute. This is for the trial court to determine." Crowell, 153 So.3d at 725, 2013 WL 6442149, at *4. If the trial court reaches this issue, it is certainly conceivable that the trial court will need to examine, and even make findings on, the issue of whether Atkinson's self-help was lawful. However, that issue is not a "claim" for which the trial court should render formal judgment.
¶ 10. We affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals on the issue of replevin.
¶ 11.
WALLER, C.J., DICKINSON AND RANDOLPH, P.JJ., KITCHENS, CHANDLER, PIERCE AND COLEMAN, JJ., CONCUR. LAMAR, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN RESULT WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION.