Spoliation – Page 34 – Electronic Discovery Law

Ericksen v. Kaplan Higher Ed., LLC, No. RDB-14-3106, 2016 WL 695789 (D. Md. Feb. 22, 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Where forensic examination revealed that immediately prior to that examination Plaintiff had run ?several ?optimizer? or ?data destruction programs?? that destroyed ?some data? the court found that Plaintiff acted willfully and, addressing Defendant?s request for dismissal, cited newly amended Rule 37(e) for the proposition that the ?Court need impose ?measures no greater than necessary to cure the prejudice?? and ordered that Plaintiff would be precluded for presenting evidence that Defendants?because of her actions?could not confirm as authentic but reasoned that dismissal was not necessary

Nature of Case: Employment discrimination

Electronic Data Involved: ESI

Bagley v. Yale Univ., No. 3:13-CV-1890 (CSH), 2016 WL 7407707 (D. Conn. Dec. 22, 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Court granted Plaintiff?s motion to compel production of litigation hold notices and related responses to a survey regarding recipients? computer use where, despite the absence of specific evidence of spoliation or a pending spoliation motion, the delayed (9-11 months) and rolling issuance of litigation holds was described by the court as ?leisurely, to an extent making it impossible to dismiss as frivolous [Plaintiff?s] suggestion that she might move for a spoliation sanction? and where the court reasoned that Plaintiff was ?entitled to discovery in these areas, in order to discern the merit or lack of merit of a formal claim for spoliation claim? [sic]; regarding assertions that the hold notices were privileged, the court reasoned that ?the predominant purpose of the communication was to give recipients forceful instructions about what they must do, rather than advice about what they might do?; court?s analysis included identification of six ?decisive questions? relevant to ?spoliation cases involving litigation hold notices? including, when the duty to preserve arose, whether litigation holds were issued, when they were issued, what they said, how recipients responded and what further action was taken beyond the litigation holds to preserve evidence

Nature of Case: Employment discrimination

Electronic Data Involved: Litigation Hold notices and survey to recipients regarding computer use

Ferrara Bros. Bldg. Materials Corp. v. FMC Constr. LLC, 54 Misc.3d 529 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Plaintiff, arguing Defendant?s contract was backdated, moved for sanctions after Defendant discarded computers (2 years after the action commenced) containing native information and system metadata for the contract at issue. The contract?s creation date was at issue in this case and Defendant had not indicated that it preserved the metadata before discarding the computers (which was not a regular or automatic event but rather a ?curiously fortuitous occurrence?). In considering sanctions, the court concluded that Defendant?s submission of an affidavit indicating that the computers were replaced and discarded did not ?rebut the presumption that Casa was negligent, even grossly negligent? and found that a negative inference at trial would be ?sufficient to strike a balance between the need to ameliorate any prejudice related from the destruction of the computer system, and the absence of demonstrable willfulness ??

Nature of Case: Breach of contract

Electronic Data Involved: Metadata

Magdaluyo v. MGM Grand Hotel, LLC, no. 2:14-cv-01806-RFB-GWF, 2016 WL 614397 (D. Nev. Feb. 16, 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Where Plaintiff specifically requested preservation of certain video that was not preserved, court concluded that Defendant ?simply ignored? the request and imposed an adverse inference that the video would have been favorable to Plaintiff; for Defendant?s failure to preserve surveillance video of alleged harassment for which there was no specific request to preserve, court reasoned that Defendant had a duty to investigate the allegation and preserve any video that existed of the incident and concluded that the jurors would be instructed that ?Defendant had a duty to preserve the video if it existed and that they may, but are not required to, infer that the video recording would have been favorable to the Plaintiff?

Nature of Case: Employment litigation (discrimination, harassment, etc.)

Electronic Data Involved: Video surveillance footage

Virtual Studios, Inc. v. Stanton Carpet, Corp., No. 4:15-CV-0070, 2016 WL 5339601 (N.D. Ga. June 23, 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Where the court acknowledged that after a duty to preserve arose in 2009 Plaintiff ?did little, if anything, to prevent the loss of emails,? including failing to instruct employees to retain relevant documents and emails and failing to backup emails stored on employees individual hard drives, but where Defendant failed to establish bad faith or an intent to deprive, the court declined to impose an adverse inference or other serious sanctions pursuant to Rule 37(e)(2) but, upon finding that the loss of emails was prejudicial to Defendant (where the parties offered competing narratives regarding whether Defendant was informed regarding Plaintiff?s limitations on the use of its images), ordered that the defendant ?may introduce evidence concerning the loss of the e-mails and may make an argument to the jury concerning the effect of the loss of the e-mails?

Nature of Case: Copyright infringement

Electronic Data Involved: Emails

Accurso v. Infra-Red Servs., Inc., —F. Supp. 3d.—, 2016 WL 930686 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 11, 2016)

Dec 01 2016

Key Insight: Court denied motion for a negative inference for Plaintiff?s alleged deletion of emails evidencing Plaintiff?s intention of taking business from Defendants where Defendants provided no basis for the court to conclude: 1) that there was ?actual suppression or destruction of evidence, let alone that [Plaintiff] was responsible,? 2) that the evidence was not obtainable from other sources, or 3) that Defendant acted with the requisite intent to deprive under Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(e)

Nature of Case: Claims and counterclaims include: violations of Employee Polygraph Protection Act, breach of contract, intentional interference with contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets

Electronic Data Involved: Emails

McQueen v. Aramark Corp. – 201611 (D. Utah, 2016)

Nov 29 2016

Key Insight: Sanctions imposed after defendant’s failure to preserve relevant ESI after receiving a preservation letter from plaintiff.

Nature of Case: Wrongful death.

Electronic Data Involved: ESI work orders and related paper records.

Keywords: Defendant acted with gross negligence, but without intent to deprive the plaintiff of the information’s use in the litigation.

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Reed v. Kindercare Learning Centers, et al. (W.D. Wash., 2016)

Nov 17 2016

Key Insight: imperfect and slow, gradual production not sanctioned

Nature of Case: disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, retaliation, ? 1983 violations, and wrongful termination in violation of public policy

Electronic Data Involved: emails

Keywords: flawed retention policies,

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Reyes et al. v. Julia Place Condominiums Homeowners Association, Inc., et al. (E.D. La., 2016)

Oct 07 2016

Key Insight: no adverse inference for inadvertent destruction of evidence

Nature of Case: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

Electronic Data Involved: ledgers

Keywords: condo association

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Trude v. Glenwood State Bank (Min. App., 2016)

Sep 08 2016

Key Insight: sanctions affirmed for discovery violations including using data wiping software to delete files

Nature of Case: repossession

Electronic Data Involved: deleted electronic records

Keywords: earth moving equipment repossession, deleted computer files, data wiping

Identified State Rule(s): Minnesota Rule of Civil Procedure 60.02

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