Key Insight: After later learning the theory recovering lost profits is based on, parties must rely on documents produced during discovery
Nature of Case: patent infringement
Electronic Data Involved: Documents
Keywords: recovering lost profits, inexorable-flow theory damages, scope of discovery
Key Insight: proportionality, spoliation sanctions
Nature of Case: wrongful termination
Electronic Data Involved: text messages, e-mails
Keywords: spoliation, forensic imaging, relevance, duty to preserve, intent to deprive, prejudice, attorney’s fees
Key Insight: whether certain ESI production requests relating to ESI created both before and after a personal injury incident are proportional to the needs of the case
Nature of Case: personal injury, Jones Act
Electronic Data Involved: text messages, call logs, roaming data logs, phone account information, credit card transaction history, bank account transaction history
Keywords: “defendants are fishing”, ” balance of the benefits and burdens of these post-incident discovery requests are not in defendants’ favor”, “wheelhouse”
Key Insight: whether the US could discover communications and documents regarding a non-testifying expert’s valuation of IP in question
Nature of Case: intellectual property (IP)
Electronic Data Involved: e-mail, documents
Keywords: non-testifying expert
Identified Local Court Rule(s): RCFC 26(c); RCFC 45(d)(3)
Key Insight: proportionality, privacy
Nature of Case: labor dispute, class action
Electronic Data Involved: payroll records, electronic documents
Keywords: class action certification, relevance, overbroad
Key Insight: Broad requests by Plaintiff were narrowed by conference and court decision to time period during and after Defendant’s employment
Nature of Case: Misappropriation of Trade Secrets and Confidential Information
Electronic Data Involved: E-mails and Documents
Keywords: proportionality, relevancy, time-limited
Key Insight: whether there was accessibility problems or undue burden or cost associated with turning over phones and computers for forensic imaging; also, whether it was sufficient to have plaintiff’s employee’s conduct a search for responsive ESI
Nature of Case: breach of contract, tortious interference
Electronic Data Involved: e-mails, phone messages, physical computers and cellphones and their data
Keywords: “former business relationship”, “information may be discoverable even if not ultimately admissible into evidence”, “Allstate, however, agreed to produce responsive information within its custody”
Key Insight: Mass email to all employees of a company asking for information is not proportional, especially when custodians and search terms have already been established
Nature of Case: Securities (retirement fund investment loss)
Electronic Data Involved: Electronic documents, emails
Keywords: discovery, mass email, proportional, retirement,
Key Insight: Courts should be less involved in discovery dispute regarding ESI despite recent FRCP amendments
Nature of Case: Labor Standards Class Action
Electronic Data Involved: third party electronic payroll data
Keywords: FRCP 2015 amendments, electronically readable fomat
Key Insight: Court reserved ruling on request for re-production of ESI where parties were ordered to confer, or, more specifically, to ?put their respective IT representative sin contact to see if an understanding can be reached about the format in which the ESI can be produced, as well as the related metadata (if any such metadata exists).?; in its analysis, court stated: ?ESI must be produced in the form in which it is maintained in the ordinary course of business, and if this includes metadata, the metadata must also be provided to Safeway.?
Electronic Data Involved: ESI, metadata
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