HTP, Ltd. v. Lineas Aereas Costarricenses, S.A.

• Decision Date: 22 March 1994
• Docket Number: No. 94-42,94-42
• Citation: HTP, Ltd. v. Lineas Aereas Costarricenses, S.A., 634 So.2d 724 (Fla. App. 1994)
• Parties: 19 Fla. L. Weekly D659 HTP, LTD., a Bermuda corporation, Petitioner, v. LINEAS AEREAS COSTARRICENSES, S.A., a Costa Rican corporation, and Lacsa International, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Respondents.
• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals

Page 724

634 So.2d 724

19 Fla. L. Weekly D659

HTP, LTD., a Bermuda corporation, Petitioner, v.LINEAS AEREAS COSTARRICENSES, S.A., a Costa Rican corporation, and Lacsa International, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Respondents.

No. 94-42.

District Court of Appeal of Florida Third District.

March 22, 1994.

Miller, Hamilton, Snider & Odom, Mobile, AL, Metsch & Metsch, Lawrence R. Metsch and Benjamin R. Metsch, Miami, for petitioner.

William J. Brown, Miami, Hoffman and Hertzig, and Carl H. Hoffman, Coral Gables, for respondents.

Before BARKDULL, GERSTEN and GODERICH, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Petitioner, HTP, Ltd.(HTP), seeks a writ of certiorari quashing a discovery order compelling HTP to disclose income information establishing an "alter ego" relationship between the various parties to an alleged fraudulent scheme.We grant certiorari and quash the order under review.

We determine that the "alter ego" allegations are extraneous to the fraud claims in the complaint.¹Because the items ordered to be produced were not shown to be reasonably related to any actual issue in the cause, we grant certiorari and quash the order under review.Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.280(b)(1);Comprehensive American Care, Inc. v. Health Care Center of Homestead, Inc., 578 So.2d 898(Fla. 3d DCA1991);seeGraphic Assocs., Inc. v. Riviana Restaurant Corp., 461 So.2d 1011(Fla. 4th DCA1984).

Certiorari granted.

1Additionally, respondents no longer need to pursue pre-trial discovery for the purpose of substantiating their "alter ego" pleading allegations in view of HTP's reply.The reply states that if certiorari is granted and the...