In Barcroft Media, Ltd. et al. v. Coed Media Grp., LLC, No. 16-CV-7634 (JMF) (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2017), Plaintiffs – providers of entertainment-related photojournalism and owners of celebrity photographs – interposed various intellectual property claims against Defendant Coed Media Group, LLC (“CMG”). The claims related to the allegedly infringing use of certain celebrity photographs (the “Images”) on CMG’s pop
Continue Reading If Evidence in its Original Form Is No Longer Available – But a Copy of that Evidence Is – Are Spoliation Sanctions Appropriate?
An Attorney Acting ‘With a Pure Heart and An Empty Head’ is Sanctioned for Spoliating Emails
According to the Complaint filed in Michael Distefano and Nicole Distefano v Law Offices of Barbara H. Katsos, PC and Barbara H. Katsos, Michael DiStefano and a non-party were owners of a limited liability company that was the franchisee of three Cold Stone Creamery Inc. ice cream parlors. In 2006, the three stores suffered financial difficulties due to an extended
The Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court of Appeals’ Pegasus Aviation Decision and What They Mean for New York Litigators
For a long time, New York state and federal courts were out of sync with one another with regard to a litigant’s discovery obligations. For example, the state courts in New York required a party to take steps to preserve discovery materials upon the commencement of a litigation, while the federal courts required preservation upon the reasonable anticipation of litigation.
New York Court of Appeals Finally Speaks on Ediscovery Spoliation, But is it Now Out of Step with the Federal Courts?
After sitting on the sidelines for years, the New York Court of Appeals (the highest appellate court in New York) has finally ruled on the standard to be applied to claims alleging spoliation of ESI. The decision, however, which was late in coming, places New York at odds with the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This post will address
Failure to Preserve Text Messages and Relevant Emails Lead to Sanctions
In Kan-Di-Ki, LLC v. Suer (2015 WL 4503210 [Del. Ch. July 22, 2015]), a case involving breach of contract claims, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant engaged in suppression and spoliation of evidence when the defendant deleted three sets of text messages and email chains pertaining to the foreseeable litigation between the parties. Plaintiff came to learn of the
Continue Reading Failure to Preserve Text Messages and Relevant Emails Lead to Sanctions