T-Mobile/Sprint Plaintiffs May Move to Compel Discovery From Nonparties

Attorneys for the AT&T and Verizon customers who seek to vacate T-Mobile’s 2020 Sprint buy on grounds that the transaction caused their own wireless rates to soar had initial meet and confers with AT&T, Verizon and Dish Network regarding the plaintiffs’ discovery requests for production of documents to those nonparties, said a joint status report Friday (docket 1:22-cv-03189) in U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois in Chicago. But after U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin certified for interlocutory appeal his denial of T-Mobile’s motion to dismiss (see 2403280027), AT&T, Verizon and Dish “refused to meet and confer” while the 7th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court considered T-Mobile’s petition for leave to file an interlocutory appeal, said the report. After the 7th Circuit denied T-Mobile’s petition (see 2405170008), the plaintiffs reengaged with the third parties, it said. If any of these third parties doesn't begin “meaningfully to cooperate in responding to these subpoenas,” the plaintiffs anticipate moving to compel, it said. The plaintiffs also are in the process of serving a subpoena on SoftBank with requests for production of documents, it said.