This appeared on September 3, 2019, on the Missouri Supreme Court's list of "Writs and Other Original Proceedings":

SC98009 State ex rel. Monsanto Company, Relator, vs. The Honorable Michael K. Mullen, Respondent.

Petition for writ of prohibition sustained. Preliminary writ ordered to issue returnable to Court en banc within fifteen days.

(Emphasis original)

We understand, from inside sources, that this notation means is that Monsanto has won mandamus appeal from an order by St. Louis City Judge Mullen's allowing a consolidated multi-plaintiff trial based on the now-discredited ( see State ex rel. Johnson & Johnson v. Burlison, 567 S.W.3d 168 (Mo. 2019)) venue theory that the presence of any plaintiff residing in the city of St. Louis allows a trial there that includes multiple plaintiffs who do not live in St. Louis. Given the notorious predilection that St. Louis City judges have shown towards such consolidated trials, this ruling could well impact a number of other cases and appeals.

There's apparently no opinion yet, but this occurrence bears watching.

This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.