Evidence Preservation: Handling the Issues in New York and New Jersey
In a recent decision, In re Facebook Inc. Derivative Litigation, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery imposed litigation sanctions on a former officer and director of Meta Platforms, Inc....more
There are few better cases that illustrate the risks of social media spoliation than Lester v. Allied Concrete Company....more
Every week, the Array team reviews the latest news and analysis about the evolving field of eDiscovery to bring you the topics and trends you need to know. This week’s post covers the period of September 16-22. Here’s what’s...more
A motion for an adverse inference was denied in Pratt v. Robbins, et al., 2024 WL 234730, Case No. 5:20-cv-170-GCM (W.D. N.C. Jan. 22, 2024) where Defendants failed to preserve or produce a video that might have contained...more
[Editor’s Note: This article was first published November 15, 2023 and EDRM is grateful to Tom Paskowitz and Robert Keeling of our Trusted Partner, Sidley, for permission to republish. The opinions and positions are those of...more
Today, we embark on a quest to unravel the triggers that ignite the legal hold process. It will be a wild ride as we navigate the realm of legal obligations and preservation. Or at least slightly more fascinating than one...more
Your friendly neighborhood Technocat is back to shed some light on the captivating topic of legal hold notices. (Riveting I know!) The legal hold process for Electronically Stored Information (ESI) is a crucial step in the...more
Hey there, data detectives! It’s TechnoCat, Cat Casey, back with a critical concept that underpins the whole eDiscovery rollercoaster ride. I’m talking about the infamous ‘Legal Hold’. No, it’s not a wrestling move, but it...more
A recent decision declined to find the requisite “intent to deprive” that would merit sanctions under Rule 37(e) when a plaintiff was unable to produce text messages because his phone had been stolen and he had not taken...more
The duty to preserve potentially relevant documents and electronically stored information is an important obligation that arises in litigation, and one that litigants and their attorneys must not take lightly. But at what...more
A review of recent case law by EDRM Guardian Partner Exterro’s E-Discovery Case Law Project - Five or so years ago, legal professionals were hearing about “the end of sanctions.” Changes in the Federal Rules of Civil...more
Corporate counsel often shoulder the burden of managing the entire Legal Hold process for their organization. That means on top of everything else, they must issue, execute and ensure compliance with required legal holds...more
When it comes to a pending litigation, the duty to preserve electronic data is clearly laid out in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP)... But when it comes to the actual process of letting custodians know they need...more
In DR Distributors LLC v. 21 Century Smoking, Inc, v. CB Distributors, Inc. and Carlos Bengos, 2021 WL 185082, No. 12 CV 50324 (1/19/2021), Judge Johnston of the Northern District of Illinois, granted Plaintiff’s motion for...more
Legal holds arise from the duty to preserve information for pending or reasonably anticipated litigation. Once litigation is contemplated, organizations have a legal obligation to prevent deletion and preserve potentially...more
Generally, a litigation hold letter* will issue to preserve documents and information potentially relevant to a reasonably anticipated lawsuit. However, when does one’s duty to preserve potentially relevant documents end? ...more
When it comes to eDiscovery, lawyers have plenty of challenges to deal with – including challenges to address even before the case is filed. Add “disappearing evidence”(!) to that list of challenges. If you read this blog...more
Video surveillance is ubiquitous today and often sought in connection with injuries or litigation. As a result, courts are increasingly presented with disputes relating to the preservation and production of surveillance...more
Allegations of intentionally purged emails, wiped laptops and servers, and corrupted key source code rarely sink major cases. But Judge Davila of the Northern District of California recently reminded litigants that failure to...more
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(e)(2), imposition of the most severe sanctions for failure to preserve relevant electronically stored information — a presumption that the information lost was unfavorable, an...more
This is what it sounds like, when sanctions are granted. In March 2019, a federal judge in Minnesota sanctioned Defendants for their failure to preserve text messages in a copyright infringement suit brought in part by the...more
Two Recent Cases Highlight the Spoliation Thresholds in Rule 37(e) - With the 2015 FRCP amendments quickly nearing a half-decade in existence, case-law continues to define how these rules are upheld in court, especially...more
Whether we like it or not, a reality of today’s world is that often important business is conducted by text messages. And so, when it is time to issue a litigation hold notice, you must include an instruction to preserve text...more
You may have read my colleague Starling Underwood’s post on two recent Second Circuit decisions discussing sanctions for spoliation. If you have not, I encourage you to read it here. The two cases Starling addressed, one...more
Cell phones have been around for a long time, but preserving the data they contain for discovery purposes is still often overlooked or avoided due to expense and inconvenience. Two recent decisions highlight the importance of...more