Federal Circuit Addresses Dueling Rambus Opinions, Remands both for Further Consideration
Micron Tech., Inc. v. Rambus Inc., NO. 2009-1263, 2011 WL 1815975 (Fed. Cir. May 13, 2011) (Micron II); Hynix Semiconductor, Inc. v. Rambus Inc., Nos. 2009-1299, 2009-1347, 2011 WL 1815978 (Fed. Cir. May 13, 2011) (Hynix II)
Two federal courts analyzing nearly identical facts came to different conclusions regarding whether a party to both litigations had committed spoliation by destroying relevant documents. Specifically, the courts differed in their determinations of when the duty to preserve arose, which hinged on when litigation was reasonably foreseeable. One court issued significant sanctions and one court issued none. On appeal, the Federal Circuit sought to clarify the analysis of when the duty to preserve was triggered and remanded both cases for further consideration.