Miss. Court Severs Claims, Grants Motion to Compel in Benzene Lawsuit

MERIDIAN, Miss - A Mississippi court has issued an order granting a defense motion for a protective order, ruling that until the plaintiffs respond to the defendants' discovery requests, the defendants do not need to answer the plaintiffs' interrogatories. Smith, et al. v. Amerada Hess, et al., No. 2004-133R (Miss. Cir. Ct., Clarke Cty.).

In the Nov. 16 order, the Circuit Court of Clarke County (Miss.) denied a plaintiff motion to compel, severed the claims of two of the benzene plaintiffs, granted a defense motion to compel discovery responses from the plaintiffs and granted the defense motion for a protective …