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? Unfortunately, the answer is not necessarily when the litigation ends. Indeed, a recent decision out of California reminds us there may be instances when one’s preservation obligations are ongoing, even
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Can the Content of My Privilege Log Jeopardize My Privilege Claim?
Rule 26(b)(5) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that, when a party withholds information otherwise discoverable by claiming the information is privileged or subject to protection as trial-preparation material, the party must:
(i) expressly make the claim; and
(ii) describe the nature of the documents, communications, or tangible things not produced or disclosed—and do so in a
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Spoliation of Evidence: When a Litigation Hold is no Longer Privileged
In New York, it is widely recognized that the duty to preserve documents arises once a party “reasonably anticipates litigation” (see Voom HD Holdings LLC v EchoStar Satellite, 93 AD3d 33, 41-42 [1st Dept 2012]). And so, issuing timely a litigation hold notice is critical for preserving information relevant or potentially relevant to an actual or threatened litigation.
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Oops I Did It Again — Court Rules that Two Separate Productions of the Same Privileged Materials Was Completely Reckless
Despite the existence of a stipulated clawback agreement (that was never presented to the Court to be So Ordered) that provided “[i]nadvertent production of privileged documents does not operate as a waiver of that privilege,” the Court found defendants’ claim to privilege was waived by the inadvertent and “completely reckless” production of privileged materials. In reaching its conclusion, the Court
Continue Reading Oops I Did It Again — Court Rules that Two Separate Productions of the Same Privileged Materials Was Completely Reckless