Parties Say Document Discovery too Large, Request Deadline Extensions

SEATTLE -- The parties in an oil refinery benzene lawsuit pending in Washington federal court have requested an extension on scheduled deadlines due to the large volume of discovery relating to the plaintiff's 30-year career. Darmanin, et al. v. ConocoPhillips Co., et al., No. 06-1429 (W.D. Wash.).

In a June 13 stipulation, the parties requested the court modify the existing case management order so that the trial date, originally scheduled for February 2008, but held in August 2008.

Anthony Darmanin contends that his 30-year employment at the Ferndale Refinery in Ferndale, Wash. exposed him to benzene, ultimately causing his non-Hodgkin's …