Ex Parte Ford Motor Company. (in Re Daniel Siniard

Summary

The court granted Ford's mandamus petition and directed transfer of the wrongful-death action from Barbour County to Montgomery County under the forum non conveniens statute. It held that the accident, investigating authorities, and relevant witnesses were centered in Montgomery County, while Barbour County had no meaningful connection beyond the plaintiff's choice of forum, and that transfer was warranted for convenience and in the interest of justice. Justice Murdock concurred in the result but would have based the transfer solely on the convenience-of-parties-and-witnesses provision and questioned the court's treatment of the venue statute.