State of Rhode Island v. Lead Industries Association, Inc.

OPINION

Justice FLAHERTY,

for the Court.

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.” 1

In a case whose life begins to rival the age of the biblical Methuselah, we are confronted with another anfractuous issue between the warring parties. Before this Court is the appeal of Sherwin-Williams Company (Sherwin-Williams) — one of the defendant paint companies — from an order denying its motion for a protective order to prohibit the disclosure of and the use of an internal company document. Sherwin-Williams argues that the disclosure of that document would offend…