American Roller Co., LLC v. Foster-Adams Leasing, LLP
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
2006 WL 1371441 (N.D. Ill. May 16, 2006)
Relevant factsFree
The defendants (Foster-Adams and others) sought discovery about an unrelated transaction involving American's (plaintiff) parent-company investor and a different company, hoping to show American habitually sued acquisition targets in bad faith for better terms; American sought a protective order, arguing the unrelated transaction had no bearing on the actual breach-of-contract claims and counterclaims in the case.
IssueFree
Whether parties to a federal lawsuit may discover information from non-parties that is relevant only to the general subject matter of the action rather than to a specific claim or defense.