Mo. Supreme Court Says Venue is Based on Location of Defendant’s Registered Agent

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that a trial court exceeded its authority by refusing to transfer Roundup cases to St. Louis County, because defendant Monsanto Co.’s registered agent was in that venue at the time the actions were filed.

In an Aug. 15 opinion, the high court ruled that venue is determined based on the defendant corporation’s registered agent’s location at the time the action is filed — not on the agent’s location on the date of a plaintiff’s first alleged injury.

Plaintiffs are six non-Missouri residents who sued Monsanto in the St. Louis City …