Supreme Court of Texas

Plaintiffs in defective tire litigation are not entitled to discovery of defendant's "skim stock" formulas, which are trade secrets, as mere possibility of unfairness is not enough to warrant disclosure of the information.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/22/2003
• Published 05/22/2003

Judges

• Justice HECHT delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Chief Justice PHILLIPS, Justice ENOCH, Justice OWEN, Justice JEFFERSON and Justice SMITH joined.

Court

• Supreme Court of Texas

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Marie R. Yeates,Knox D. Nunnally, Catherine B. Smith, Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., Houston, Debora B. Alsup, Thompson & Knight, L.L.P., Austin, C. Vernon Hartline, Jr., Scott G. Edwards, Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, L.L.P., for Relator.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert J. Patterson, Patterson & Associates, Corpus Christi, Wendell Phillip Martens, Leon R. Russell, Law Office of Leon R. Russell, Dallas, N. CarleneRhodes Lewis, Goforth Lewis LLP, Houston, C. Tab Turner, Turner & Associates, N. Little Rock, AR, Robert E. Ammons, Stevenson St. John & Ammons, Houston, Paula A. Wyatt, Wyatt & Wyatt, Corpus Christi, Michael L. Phifer, Law Office of Michael L. Phifer, Richard Warren Mithoff, Mithoff & Jacks, Houston, Vincent L. Marable, III, Paul Webb, P.C., Wharton, Catherine W. Smith, Law Office of Ramon Garcia, Edinburg, David G. Matthiesen, Matthiesen Chase & Erwin, Houston, Frank L. Branson, Law Office of Frank L. Branson, Dallas, for Respondent.