Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Superior Court

Opinion

FRIEDMAN, J.

Plaintiffs Gorden, who are real parties in interest here, filed a personal injury action against Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft (VWAG), a German corporation, alleging defective design and manufacture of a 1966 Volkswagen automobile. Plaintiffs moved for two discovery orders: one, appointing a commissioner to take the depositions of seven Volkswagen officials or employees at Wolfsburg, Germany; the other, permitting plaintiffs to inspect and take pictures of certain departments of the Volkswagen manufacturing plant. Both proposed orders declared that refusal to comply…