In re Continental Tire The Americas LLC

On April 19, 2013, the Supreme Court of Texas agreed to hear whether a Houston trial court ordered an overly broad disclosure of Defendant’s trade secrets, such that it constitutes a “constitutional taking.”

In IN RE CONTINENTAL TIRE THE AMERICAS, LLC,, Plaintiffs’ allege that a defect in Continental Tire the Americas’ (CTA) tires is responsible for the fatal crash of Juan Hernandez, and his daughter and granddaughter. Plaintiffs are all members of the Hernandez family. CTA claims it possess trade secrets in the tire and its manufacturing process. Furthermore, the company argues that the trial court’s flimsy protective order constitutes an abuse of discretion: it not only failed to protect CTA’s alleged trade secrets in the present case, but allows potential litigants in other states to access the confidential information in order to promote “shared discovery.” CTA claims the extent of disclosure, as proscribed by the trial court, is so egregious it constitutes a constitutional taking without just compensation.

Per CTA’s brief, under Texas Rule of Evidence 507, trade secrets, even if relevant, are privileged and not discoverable, unless the requesting party makes a particularized, evidentiary showing that disclosure of the trade secrets is necessary for a fair adjudication of the case. When the requesting party satisfies that burden of proof, the trial court ordering disclosure must issue a protective order sufficient to safeguard the trade secrets from further disclosure. Tex. R. Evid. 507.

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