It is usually required that one join all “necessary parties” to a lawsuit. “A necessary [party] is one who is so vitally interested in the subject matter of controversy that a valid judgment cannot be effectively rendered without the party’s presence.” Jones v. Jones, 285 S.W.3d 356, 360 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009). In a breach…
Legal Articles
Necessary Parties versus Indispensable Parties
Multi-party litigation changes things substantively, strategically and procedurally. As a threshold issue, the question of whether all necessary/indispensable parties have been joined in a given lawsuit is something litigants often raise. This leads to the subtle distinction between necessary parties and indispensable parties under Missouri law. Under Missouri Supreme Court Rules, a party must be…