Ex Parte AmSouth Bancorporation

The defendants in an action pending in the Jefferson Circuit Court, AmSouth Bancorporation and certain of its affiliates, petition this Court for a writ of mandamus directing the trial court to set aside its order certifying the action as a class action under Rule 23(b)(3), Ala. R. Civ. P. We grant the petition.

The defendant AmSouth Bank of Alabama ("the Bank") is a wholly owned subsidiary of the defendant AmSouth Bancorporation. The defendant AmSouth Investment Services, Inc. ("AIS"), is, in turn, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank. AIS brokers sell a variety of investments, such as…