Trumbull v Adience, Inc.

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Trumbull v Adience, Inc. 2018 NY Slip Op 31669(U) March 20, 2018 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: 190084/2016 Judge: Lucy Billings Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. [*FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2018 04:28 PM 1] INDEX NO. 190084/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1211 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2018 ·: ·• .. :- . ·~ .. .. SUPREME ·COURT OF ..THE STATE OF NEW YORK ... · ·. ·· ,, · COUNTY OF ·NEW )'ORK·: ·_PART :~6· . . . , ··'_,·:::.· ... 7-. , ~ ... . ---------~--:---~-~~---~-~~---~~:-~~-:x.;~-.~·. RI CHARD s'. TRUMBQLL and MARGARET TRUMBULL I ~ . . Index No. ·190084/2016 . .. ~ Plaintiffs· ' ~ '"r • . ~· . ;.::DECISION AND ORDER aga_~nst ADIENCE, INC., et al., - .- ,. f/k/a BMI,. INC., Defendants - - - - - - - - - .- - - - -: - - .- - - - - - -·:::-. - "=· -· -; ·- - - - - - - - '- - LUCY BILLINGS I J. s. ;x: c .·: . ' . . .. '" . ' '· ' ~njuries Plaintiff Richard Trumbull seeks' damages for he suffered after he.was :exposed to.asbestos.from equipment and ~ • • r ' ' ' materials used ·in his employer's and its ,. CU§ltomers~. . ~. facilities .. ' that he visited. in his capacity as marketing d.irector. and administrative manager for Owens-Illinoi~, : Inc . .1 -from i972 to 2000. Plaintiff~ ·'.previo.u_sly"settled thei_r :claim? against o~ens Illinois, Inc.·, and released. ~t from l~abi~ity to pJ-aintiffs . . qn.December 27, 2017, defendan~ Cleaver-Brooks;· Inc., requested from the Speci~l .Master that· plaintiffs._disc'lose their . . . .. release of Owen~.:_Illinois.and.ail·trial exi;iibit· lists.plaintiffs . served on other'defendants and .that Cleaver_;Brooks be permitted to .seek unspecified disclosure from other defendants. - On February 10, requests.. 2ois, the special -Ma.ster ?enied Cleaver-Brooks' s '. Cleaver-Brook~. riow se~ks ~n ord~r vacati~g. the Special . ' . . ' . . .. Master's recommendation and granting Cleaver-Brooks's· requests for disclosure. trumbull.193 1 2 of 5 [*FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2018 04:28 PM 2] INDEX NO. 190084/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1211 ,., I. RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2018 PLAINTIFFS' RELEASE OF OWENS::.ILLINOIS A settlement agreement is d{scoverable if the terms are .. ~· .. .. . defenses.: Mahoney v Turner Constr: Co. ,·,61· A.D.3d 101, 104 , ~ (1st Dep't.2009); AmericanRe...:Ins. Co. v.' United States Fid. & Guar . •,,.;o ' - .•• '!,, , Co .. 19 A.D .. 3d 103; 104 flst Dep't 2005), . See In-re Steam Pipe Explosion, 128 f}:.D. 3d · 4_93·; ~- 493 (l_st Dep' t -2ois); Matter of Midland., Ins. Co. , 8.7 .·A ,D .. ~d 487 ,· :4,9i · (ls,t )?ep '.t. 2 01,1)·. Cleaver- Brooks maintains;·:that the extent .to which:plaintiffs released Owens-Illinois from liability, either as Richard Trumbull'.s employer or as ,a 111~nufactui:-e:r bf prs>ducts' tll.at' co:rif,?-i:q.ed asbestos, is material and.necessary·to Cleaver-Brooks's ,. '\: ~ preparation for trial on issues· relating to apportionment of pl,aintiffs~,~consent1 liability to nonparties. ·Upon -the court has conducted an in camera.review of the release·and determined that it ,does address _wh~tl~er .plaintiffs, :te'ieape°ci ,Qwens<Illinois from liability as Richard Trumbull's employ~r and.'~s a product manufacturer. · Since plaintiffs do· n'ot dis.pute that the reiease is material to· apportionment, of l_iabili ty, . Cl_eaver-,Brooks is entitled to disclosure of the release insofar as· it: addresses those material issues. Consequently, within.three· days c:i.fter·entry of this order, plaintiffs shall·serv~ the release.on Cleaver-Brooks~ consent,. ·plaintiff$ -may reqact _the release. s~tt~eme¥t amourit. ~rom _the Plaintiffs also.may--redact the.third and fourth paragraphs on page two o~ ·-the.' release, . '\'I. trumbull.193 Upon its 2 3 of 5 ar these p~ragraphs are [*FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2018 04:28 PM 3] INDEX NO. 190084/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1211 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2018 unrelated to the extent to which plainti.ffs released Owens, . Illinois from liability~ II. EXHIBIT LISTS - . ·,·· . C.P.L.R. § 2103(e) requires plaintiffs to serve Cleaver-. Brooks with all documents plaintiffE)_have·se:tvE:d on <?ther partiesP1aintiffs waived any protection of the exhibit "' . lists as attorney work product·when pl?-int;:iffs_disclosed tl:tose in the action. exhibit lists to other d~fendants.pursuan,t' to the Special Master's disclosure schedule, 223, 246 People v.·Kozlowski, 11 N.Y.3d . (2008)_;. Bluebird Partners; L.P. v First Fid. Bank; N.A., New Jersey, 248 A. D. 2d- 219, _225 _(1st. Dep' t; 1998) . Therefore, within three dais -after ~ntry of thi~ ord~i. pla~nt~f f s shall serve on Cleaver-Brooks=all.exhibit fists s~rved-on other defendants. III. DISCLOSURE FROM CO-DEFENDANTS Cleaver-:-Brooks fails to specify wha_t disclosure CleaverBrooks seeks or to present a~y._actual disc:losure _reques~s served '. on other_ defendants or any proposed re~ests :.~. The court therefore upholds the ·special Master's r.ecommendation a:nd denies Cleaver-Brooks's request for unspecified disclosu;re from coInsofar as Cleaver-Brooks seeks a ru'ling . on the . ··.. defendants. ' . ' admissibility of d.epositiori.testimony·or answers to ,- interrogatories, such a ruling is for the:trial judge·preliminary t6 or at the trial .. '' trumbull.193. '( 3 ·_, 4 of 5 [*FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2018 04:28 PM 4] INDEX NO. 190084/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1211 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2018 ·' IV. CONCLUSION . . In sum, for the.reasons explained abov~, the.court grants . . . - - the motion by defendant ... . Cleayer-Brooks., . Inc. , .t.o _vacate the ... . .. _,.. :•. _,. •' Special Master~ s ~ecom~endat.ion:·to.. the'" e;x:te:r:i~ :·of O:i;dering plaintiffs,, within .three days.after .. en~ry of:thi~ ,order, to_ serve Cleaver-Brobks with a redacted copy.of: th~:r~ie~se and.all exhib~t The court s~rved on~ther p~rties. lists plaintiffs ·- . otherwise denies Cleaver-B~ooks;s ciotion.~ '· DATED: March _20, 2018' ... Lucy _BILLINGS,· J. s. c . . ' , ' ·.· . °LUCY a1i.u~JGS " :J.S.C. ...-'., '> ·/." ·"J •' . .• ... ·"" .. .. trurnbull.193 4 5 of 5 ~ ~-- . . .. . . ~ . . ••• •.

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