Axelson, Inc. v. McIlhany

755 S.W.2d 170, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1294, 1988 WL 54448
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 31, 1988
Docket07-87-0256-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 755 S.W.2d 170 (Axelson, Inc. v. McIlhany) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Axelson, Inc. v. McIlhany, 755 S.W.2d 170, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1294, 1988 WL 54448 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

[172]*172DODSON, Justice.

In this original mandamus proceeding, Axelson, Inc. (“Axelson”) and U.S. Industries, Inc. (“USI”), hereinafter referred to as “relators,” request this Court to direct the Honorable Grainger W. Mcllhany, Judge of the Blst Judicial District of Wheeler County, to order discovery of certain matters in a cause of action pending in that court. In that regard, the relators have sought extensive discovery from Apache Corporation (“Apache”) and El Paso Exploration Company, n/k/a Meridian Oil Production, Inc. (“El Paso”), some of which has been denied by the trial court. Specifically, relators have requested (1) photographs of the well-site taken by Apache’s experts and attorneys (“the photographs”); (2) depositions of experts originally designated testifying experts by parties who later settled with Apache, now designated consulting experts (“the Arkla/Key experts”); (3) gas analyses performed at the request of one of Apache’s experts (“the Thurmond-McGlothlin gas analyses”); (4) depositions from several of Apache’s consulting experts (“the dual capacity witnesses”); and (5) documents reflecting Apache’s internal investigation of kickback schemes (“Apache’s kickback investigation”). Relators bring this mandamus proceeding complaining of the denial of these requests and ask this Court to direct discovery on these matters. We conditionally grant the writ of mandamus on items one and three above and deny the petition for writ of mandamus on the remaining matters.

The underlying suit from which discovery is sought arose from the 4 October 1981 blowout of the Key 1-11 gas well in Wheeler County, Texas. Apache was the operator of the well and a fifty percent working interest owner at the time of the blowout. El Paso owned the remaining fifty percent working interest. As a result of the blowout, several mineral owners brought suit against Apache and El Paso. Apache and El Paso, real parties in interest, subsequently filed a third party action against Axelson and USI, relators, for damages in connection with the cost of controlling the well and for the loss of their own property interest.

In Jampole v. Touchy, 673 S.W.2d 569, 572-73 (Tex.1984), the Court determined that mandamus is a proper remedy to correct trial court action where there has been an abuse of discretion by not permitting discovery and there is no remedy by appeal “that is ‘equally convenient, beneficial, and effective as mandamus.’ ” In that regard, the party resisting discovery has the burden of affirmatively pleading and establishing that discovery does not lie. Peeples v. Hon. Fourth Supreme Judicial Dist., 701 S.W.2d 635, 637 (Tex.1985); Giffin v. Smith, 688 S.W.2d 112, 114 (Tex.1985). In this instance, we will examine each discovery request individually to determine if Apache and El Paso have met their burden.

The Photographs

Relators sought discovery of several photographs of the Key 1-11 well-site and well equipment by filing, in the trial court, their First Request for Production addressed to Apache. Apache objected to this request on the basis that the photographs were taken by experts who had not been designated as testifying experts. The trial court denied relators’ request for the photographs. Relators then filed two more requests for production, each requesting, inter alia, all photographs of the Key 1-11 well. Apache responded by asserting the work product and consulting expert privileges of Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 166b(3)(a) and (c)

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Axelson, Inc. v. McIlhany
755 S.W.2d 170 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
755 S.W.2d 170, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1294, 1988 WL 54448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/axelson-inc-v-mcilhany-texapp-1988.