Rule 99.01.Action in Replevin.

Replevin is a lawsuit built around one goal: getting a specific piece of personal property back, not collecting money for its loss. Rule 99.01 opens the door to that lawsuit. It doesn’t require the plaintiff to be the outright owner of the item — only that the plaintiff has a right to possess it that beats whatever claim the current holder has. A lender with a security interest, a bailor whose goods were never returned, or a buyer whose paid-for merchandise was withheld can all qualify.

This rule states the cause of action in a single sentence and leaves the mechanics — how to get the property back quickly, what bond to post, how the sheriff carries out the order — to the rules that follow it. Read on its own, Rule 99.01 tells the court and the parties that a claim for possession of personal property is a recognized category of Missouri lawsuit.

Because replevin can move fast, with property seized from a defendant before trial on the merits, the rest of Rule 99 builds in safeguards: an affidavit describing the property and the claimant’s right to it, a bond protecting the defendant if the claim fails, and a chance for the defendant to keep or regain the property by posting a bond of their own.