Ex Parte Jones

This mandamus proceeding stems from a lawsuit involving a dispute over a stock purchase agreement between the plaintiff/petitioner, Bruce M. Jones, and the defendant/respondent Charles S. Caldwell III. Jones seeks a writ of mandamus requiring the Jefferson County Circuit Court to set aside its order directing arbitration as to some of Jones's claims. We grant the writ.

Caldwell is the majority shareholder and president of Automatic Detection Systems, Inc. ("ADS"). ADS is an Alabama corporation that sells, installs, maintains, and monitors security system equipment. ADS is also a defendant in…