CHICAGO (CN) - A law firm exceeded court limits by requesting 38 years' worth of sales invoices for products that contain asbestos, an Illinois appellate court ruled.
The law firm of Cooney and Conway sued industrial firms Warren Pumps LLC and Riley Stoker, and requested invoices from 1948 to 1986.
Warren Pumps complied with the request but balked when the lawyers requested additional discovery.
The trial court granted Cooney's motion to compel discovery and fined Warren's lawyer $1 for friendly contempt.
"Our courts generally hold that wide, sweeping discovery requests are considered an abuse of discretion," Judge Campbell wrote. "C&C's discovery request is overbroad and does not comply with discovery rules and related limitations."
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.