Ex Parte Discount Foods, Inc.

Discount Foods, Inc., the plaintiff in an action pending in the Calhoun Circuit Court, petitions for a writ of mandamus directing Judge Malcolm Street 1) to withdraw his order granting the defendants' motion to compel arbitration and to stay the proceedings and 2) to enter an order denying the defendants' motion.

On May 7, 1996, Discount Foods sued several related businesses (the Supervalu Company,1 Save-a-lot, Ltd., and Gregorson's Holdings, Inc.)2 and various other fictitiously named defendants. The complaint alleged that the defendants had tortiously interfered with Discount Foods'…