State ex rel. Webster v. Ames

CROW, Presiding Judge.

The State of Missouri (“plaintiff”) acting through the Attorney General, brought this civil action against Angela Ames (“defendant”) alleging that defendant had engaged in unlawful merchandising practices. During the pendency of the action plaintiff propounded interrogatories to defendant. Defendant refused to answer three of them, asserting “5th Amendment privileges.”

The trial court overruled the objections and ordered defendant to answer the interrogatories by a specified deadline. Defendant refused. The trial court ultimately entered an order striking defendant’s…