Hogan Lovells fights subpoena for its files in NHTSA probe of Mercedes seat warmer
Hogan Lovells has filed a motion to quash a subpoena for its files related to a closed investigation of its client, Mercedes-Benz.
Plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit are seeking the “entire file related to” the firm’s representation of Mercedes-Benz in probes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the motion to quash. The National Law Journal (sub. req.) has a story on the dispute.
The class action claims some Mercedes-Benz cars had a defect that caused seat warmers to “spark, smoke, overheat and catch fire.”
A former Hogan Lovells partner represented Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG in the 2005 and 2008 probes, which closed without a finding of a safety defect trend.
The motion to quash says the subpoena “makes a sweeping request for information protected from discovery by the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine.”
