Defendants Say Discovery Responses Reflect 'Changing Times of Post-Mangialardi World'

MERIDIAN, Miss -- Several defendants named in a Mississippi benzene action have filed a motion to compel discovery, saying the state's recent rulings on mass joinder preclude the plaintiffs from proceeding with the limited discovery responses they provided. Smith, et al. v. Amerada Hess, et al., No. 2004-133R (Miss. Cir. Ct., Clarke Cty.).

However, in a response filed Oct. 7 in the Mississippi Circuit Court for Clarke County, the plaintiffs contend that the defendants have manipulated the rulings on mass joinder 'in ways that boggle the mind.' According to a recently filed notice, a hearing on the motion to compel …