Plaintiff Seeks Order Compelling Production of Shell's Documents

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A benzene plaintiff is opposing Shell Oil Company's motion for a protective order, saying its discovery requests are 'narrowly tailored to elicit relevant testimony.' Mielke, et al. v. Ashland Inc., et al., No. 05-88 (S.D. Iowa).

The Feb. 7 opposition filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa also asks the court to issue an order compelling Shell to produce documents.

In a supplemental brief filed Feb. 20, plaintiff Margaret Mielke pointed to Shell's corporate policy that outlines the company's benzene litigation strategy. According to Mielke, this corporate policy entails disclosing …