Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jul 23, 2021
STATE OF MISSOURI EX REL. DAN PATTERSON, Relator vs. THE HONORABLE CHARLES D. CURLESS, Respondent
Relator, the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney, sought a writ of prohibition against Respondent Judge Curless, who had disqualified the entire prosecuting attorney's office in an underlying criminal case. The disqualification order was based solely on unverified motion allegations and attorney argument, without any evidence presented. The appellate court issued a permanent writ of prohibition, concluding that the trial court abused its discretion by disqualifying the prosecutor without any evidentiary basis.