Volkswagen, A.G. v. Valdez
Texas Supreme Court
909 S.W.2d 900 (1995)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
The plaintiffs sued German company Volkswagen, A.G. (defendant) for injuries sustained in a car accident involving their 1970 Volkswagen. The plaintiffs sought production of Volkswagen’s current internal telephone directory in an attempt to seek information on who may have known about alleged defects in the car. The plaintiffs already had Volkswagen’s 1969 directory and the current directory for Volkswagen of America, the company’s American subsidiary. Volkswagen objected to the discovery request based on a German law that proscribed divulging personal information without consent. The trial court compelled production of the directory and in doing so declined to consider German law. Volkswagen petitioned the Texas Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus, seeking an order that Volkswagen did not have to produce the directory.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
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