Flashcards Studio

A former employee sued a pharmaceutical company in federal court for trade-secret misappropriation and retaliation. Early in the case, the district court entered a preliminary injunction barring the employee from disclosing specified research files. The same order denied the company's request to compel the employee to produce communications with her lawyer, finding that the attorney-client privilege applied. The court also denied the employee's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.
The employee wants to appeal the injunction immediately. The company wants to appeal the privilege ruling immediately, arguing that disclosure issues are too important to wait. Both sides also want immediate appellate review of the denied motion to dismiss because continued litigation will be expensive.
Which issues, if any, are immediately appealable? Discuss Section 1292(a)(1), the collateral-order doctrine, mandamus as an extraordinary possibility, and why most interlocutory orders must wait for final judgment.