MDL Court: Plaintiffs Not Required to Disclose Settlement Agreements

PHILADELPHIA -- The Asbestos Products Liability Multidistrict Litigation court has rejected Ford Motor's attempts to have settlement agreements with bankruptcy trusts disclosed in an Ohio case, ruling that plaintiffs are not required to disclose details of such agreements. Anderson, et al. v. Ford Motor Co., et al., No. 09-69122 (E.D. Pa.).

According to the two-page Oct. 20 order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Ford Motor had filed a motion to compel production of settlement documents, arguing that it is discoverable because the defendant is entitled to set-off amounts and that, in Utah, a jury …