Appeals Court Grants Sears' Mandamus Petition, Says Discovery Order Was Too Broad

HOUSTON - A Texas appeals court has granted a mandamus petition filed by Sears, Roebuck & Co. after a trial court ordered the company to answer discovery requests pertaining to asbestos-containing products the company sold, but which were never identified as a possible cause of the plaintiff's alleged injury. In re Sears, Roebuck and Co., No. 14-03-00385-CV (Texas Ct. App., Fourteenth Dist.).

The Fourteenth District Court of Appeals granted Sears' writ of mandamus Nov. 5, determining that discovery requests made by plaintiff Joel Fuerstenau related to the products sold by Sears could have been tailored to better suit the plaintiff's …