Opinion ID: 2347851
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: propriety of prohibition and standard of review

Text: In general, prohibition is a discretionary writ that may be issued to prevent an abuse of judicial discretion, to avoid irreparable harm to a party, or to prevent the exercise of extra-jurisdictional power. State ex rel. Broadway-Washington Assocs., Ltd. v. Manners, 186 S.W.3d 272, 274 (Mo. banc 2006). In the context of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action, it has long been held that where a petition reveals that the pleader has not stated and cannot state a cause of action of which the circuit court would have jurisdiction, then prohibition will lie. State ex rel. Johnson v. Sevier, 339 Mo. 483, 98 S.W.2d 677, 680 (1936). More recently, this Court has simply held that prohibition will lie if plaintiff's petition does not state a viable theory of recovery, and relator was entitled to be dismissed from the suit as a matter of law. State ex rel. Barthelette v. Sanders, 756 S.W.2d 536, 539 (Mo. banc 1988) (internal citation omitted) (issuing writ of prohibition for failure to state a cause of action against state park superintendent for negligence in drowning death of boy scout because superintendent had immunity under public duty doctrine). See also State ex rel. Diehl v. Kintz, 162 S.W.3d 152 (Mo.App. 2005) (issuing writ of prohibition for failure to state a cause of action in defamation case). Moreover, the failure to state a cause of action is a jurisdictional defect because there is no subject matter on which the court can take jurisdiction. See Adkisson v. Dir. of Revenue, 891 S.W.2d 131, 132 (Mo. banc 1995), citing Commercial Bank of St. Louis County v. James, 658 S.W.2d 17, 21 (Mo. banc 1983). Friley's categorical claim that a writ of prohibition does not lie following the denial of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is simply incorrect. There are two principal cases on which she relies: State ex rel. Morasch v. Kimberlin, 654 S.W.2d 889 (Mo. banc 1983), which appears to be an aberration, and State ex rel. Dick Proctor Imports, Inc. v. Gaertner, 671 S.W.2d 273 (Mo. banc 1984), which, though it cites Morasch, is distinguishable in any event. In Morasch, this Court declined to issue a writ of prohibition for failure to state a claim reasoning that to proceed with the case despite the defect in the petition was merely an error of law rather than excess of jurisdiction. 654 S.W.2d at 892 (internal citation omitted). In so ruling, however, the Court cited Sevier, 98 S.W.2d at 680, and other like cases, but then disregarded (or misapplied) them. This Court in Dick Proctor Imports, on the other hand, declined to issue a writ of prohibition on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim that was ancillary to a motion to dismiss for improper venue. 671 S.W.2d at 275. Although the Court cited Morasch, it made clear that [r]elators [did] not allege fraudulent or pretensive joinder, id. at n. 1, which was the more proper course of action to challenge the sufficiency of the cause of action for venue purposes. In short, these cases should not be read to eviscerate the rule that prohibition will lie on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action.
On a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action, the court reviews the allegations of the petition to determine whether the facts pled therein are sufficient as a matter of law. Grewell v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 102 S.W.3d 33, 36 (Mo. banc 2003). A motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action: assumes that all of plaintiff's averments are true, and liberally grants to plaintiff all reasonable inferences therefrom. No attempt is made to weigh any facts alleged as to whether they are credible or persuasive. Instead, the petition is reviewed in an almost academic manner, to determine if the facts alleged meet the elements of a recognized cause of action, or of a cause that might be adopted in that case. Reynolds v. Diamond Foods & Poultry, Inc., 79 S.W.3d 907, 909 (Mo. banc 2002). The petition will withstand the motion if it invokes substantive principles of law entitling plaintiff to relief and alleges ultimate facts informing defendant of that which plaintiff will attempt to establish at trial. Grewell, 102 S.W.3d at 36 (internal citation omitted).