Bank of California Nat. Ass'n v. Superior Court
Supreme Court of California
106 P.2d 879 (Cal. 1940)
Bertha Smedley (plaintiff) sued Bank of California (defendant), the executor of Sara Boyd's estate, and St. Luke's Hospital (defendant), a major beneficiary, to enforce an alleged contract entitling Smedley to the entire estate, but did not manage to serve the many other beneficiaries, some living abroad. The Bank and St. Luke's moved to have those other beneficiaries brought into the case as necessary and indispensable parties; the Superior Court denied the motion, and the Bank and St. Luke's sought a writ of prohibition to halt the trial until those parties were joined.
Whether a court may proceed with a case without joining parties whose interests relate to the controversy but who are not indispensable to resolving it.