In Re Terra International, Inc.

Petitioner Terra International, Inc. seeks a writ of mandamus compelling the district court to vacate certain discovery orders entered by the magistrate judge (and affirmed by the district court) in a civil suit between Terra International, Inc. and Mississippi Chemical Corporation. We grant the petition for writ of mandamus in part and deny it in part.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A The Underlying Litigation

On December 13, 1994, an explosion occurred at Terra International’s (“Terra”) ammonium nitrate facility in Port Neal, Iowa, killing four people, injuring eighteen others, and…