Opinion ID: 2822799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: This Court's power to issue remedial writs derives from article V, section 4.1 of the Missouri Constitution. State ex rel. Dir. of Revenue v. Mobley, 49 S.W.3d 178, 179 (Mo. banc 2001). A writ of mandamus may issue under very limited circumstances as it is a hard and fast unreasoning writ, and is reserved for extraordinary emergencies. Norval v. Whitesell, 605 S.W.2d 789, 791 (Mo. banc 1980). A court should issue a writ of mandamus only if the relator has demonstrated a clear, unequivocal, and specific right to have the respondent take action. State ex rel. Missouri Growth Ass'n v. State Tax Comm'n, 998 S.W.2d 786, 788 (Mo. banc 1999). I would not issue a writ of mandamus in this case because Todd Hewitt has an adequate remedy by appeal following arbitration. See Rule 84.22(a); State ex rel. Reser v. Martin, 576 S.W.2d 289, 290-91 (Mo. banc 1978). I strongly disagree with the per curiam opinion's sidestepping of the statutory right of appeal and issuance of a writ of mandamus in this case, claiming mandamus is an appropriate remedy when alternative remedies waste judicial resources or result in a burdensome delay, creating irreparable harm to the parties. Slip op. at 7. That justification/rationalization is untenable in a case like this, in which the timeline 1 alone demonstrates that the resolution of contract law issues in response to the motion to compel arbitration under the guise of saving judicial resources or avoiding delay is just the wrong decision.