Forensic issues with ESI.
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May 23, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at May 23, 2023
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In Fowler v. Tenth Planet, Inc., 2023 WL 2691576 (D. Md. Mar. 29, 2023)(Coulson, J.)(“Fowler I”), the Magistrate Judge wrote that preservation of a cell phone “in place” may be acceptable in some instances, but made clear that it is risky. Plaintiff had not backed up his cell phone. He left it […]
May 13, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at May 13, 2023
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This is a thank you to Kevin Spargo, Vice President of Computer Services Limited, and Navid Raoofian, President, Web interactive Technologies. My wife and I sponsored a Ukrainian family whose home and business were bombed and destroyed in Bakhmut. They arrived here about a week ago under a U.S. government program. I […]
April 10, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at April 10, 2023
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Fowler v. Tenth Planet, Inc., 2023 WL 2691576 (D. Md. Mar. 29, 2023)(Coulson, J.), is an important and thoughtful decision demonstrating the peril of preservation in place. In Fowler, the plaintiff left his cell phone in an unlocked car. It was stolen after the duty to preserve had been triggered. It contained […]
April 8, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at April 8, 2023
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In CSAA Affinity Insurance Company v. The Scott Fetzer Company, 2023 WL 2714026 (D. Md. Mar. 30, 2023), a subrogated insurer sued the manufacturer of a sump pump, alleging that the pump was defective and started a house fire. The defendant-manufacturer asserted spoliation, and it moved for sanctions. However, defendant’s motion for […]
March 18, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 18, 2023
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Hur v. Lloyd & Williams, LLC, 523 P.3d 861 (Wash. App. Div. 3 2023), presents another in a long list of redaction errors.[1] Two significant errors occurred in the contract dispute action. Defense counsel “inadvertently disclosed information subject to a claim of privilege when it sent electronic discovery responses to opposing counsel […]
March 15, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 15, 2023
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In Gunter v. Alutiiq Advanced Security Systems, LLC, 2023 WL 2330707 (D. Md. Mar. 2, 2023)(Rubin, J.), the Court relied in part on Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b) to dismiss a litigant’s lawsuit for failure to comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The case involved egregious[1] misconduct that included fraud on the Court, […]
December 16, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at December 16, 2022
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The Sedona Conference recently published a public comment version of its “Primer on Managing Electronic Discovery in Small Cases” (Dec. 2022). There has long been an interest in low-cost technology. For example, two decades ago, I wrote “Low Cost Litigation Technology” (Md. Bar Journal Nov./Dec. 2000). Similarly, Craig Ball has blogged about […]
November 14, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at November 14, 2022
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The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution makes a big difference. This is illustrated by two recent Maryland appellate decisions – – one civil, the other criminal – – regarding discovery from cell phones. Cf. Richardson v. State, 481 Md. 423 (2022)(criminal), with St. Francis Academy, et al. v. Gilman School, Inc., […]
August 12, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at August 12, 2022
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I have written a series of blogs on What is a Document? (Part III), What is a Document? (Part II), and What is a “Document?” In those blogs, I pointed to issues that may be presented by, for example, text bubbles, spreadsheet cells, Excel workbooks with multiple worksheets, PDF Portfolios, and […]
July 17, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at July 17, 2022
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In State v. Galicia, __ Md. __, 2022 WL 2301437, at *1 (June 27, 2022), the Court of Appeals held that expert testimony was not required to show that a user can disable location tracking on a smartphone. Two teenagers were shot by four men in June 2017. Mr. Galicia was convicted […]
June 25, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at June 25, 2022
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Two people were murdered. It was late at night in an area of known drug deals. There were witnesses, but many had consumed legal or illegal substances and others were inconsistent. There was video, but not of the shooting. The Court called it “incomplete.” An FBI analyst testified to a photogrammetric analysis […]
June 1, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at June 1, 2022
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Lorraine v. Markel Am. Ins. Co., 241 F.R.D. 534 (D. Md. 2007), fills 67 pages on Westlaw. In the Complaint, the plaintiff sought $36,000 plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs.[1] The Counterclaim sought to enforce a $14,100 arbitration award.[2] The decision is a treatise on admissibility of ESI, stating: Although cases abound […]
April 28, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at April 28, 2022
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Metadata has been embraced, loved, cursed, and vilified. It has been written about in inconsistent ethics opinions about “mining.” Failure to preserve or produce it has led to the imposition of sanctions in litigation. It has been “scrubbed,”[1] sliced, diced, defined, and classified as application or system metadata and system-generated or user-created.[2] […]
April 20, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at April 20, 2022
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In Gunter v. Alutiiq Advanced Security Solutions, LLC, 2022 WL 1139875 (D. Md. Apr. 18, 2022), a pro se plaintiff alleged various employment discrimination claims. After defendant provided forensic testimony, the plaintiff was sanctioned under Rule 41(b), Rule 37(e), Rule 26(g), and the Court’s inherent power, for fabricating and failing to produce […]
March 24, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 24, 2022
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In St. Francis Academy, et al. v. Gilman School, Inc., No. 1390 (Md. Ct. Spl. Apls. Mar. 21, 2022) (unreported), the intermediate appellate court affirmed an order directing forensic imaging and searching of non-parties’ cell phones under a strict protocol to protect the cell phone owners’ privacy. It carefully balanced the discovering […]
March 17, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 17, 2022
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Earlier this month, the Sedona Conference published its “Commentary on Equitable Remedies in Trade Secret Litigation” (Mar. 2022). The comprehensive Sedona Commentary offers five Principles and 24 Guidelines. Its premise is that: “Obtaining or resisting some form of equitable relief is a key component of many trade secret disputes, both at an […]
February 17, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at February 17, 2022
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Mike Hamilton’s blog, “Defendant Ordered to Produce 30,000 Slack Messages” (Exterro Feb. 7, 2022), provides an excellent description of Benebone LLC v. Pet Qwerks, Inc., 2021 WL 831025 (C.D. Cal. Feb. 18, 2021). The blog correctly points out that, as to discovery of Slack messages, “proportionality was the key issue.” Benebone is […]
February 13, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at February 13, 2022
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In Arconic Corp., et al, v. Novelis Inc., et al., 2022 WL 409488 (W.D. Pa. Feb. 10, 2022), the Court denied a recusal motion that was based on metadata contained in the Court’s order. Specifically, Arconic moved to recuse the Judge based on “author” and “date created” metadata. Arconic asserted that the metadata showed […]
November 28, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at November 28, 2021
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Sanctions were imposed in DG BF LLC v. Ray, No. 2020-0459 (Del. Ch. Nov. 19, 2021).[1] The court dismissed a fraud and retaliation lawsuit for discovery abuse. Among other issues, plaintiff testified that he did not know what a “litigation hold” was, even though defendants sent a preservation demand to him. It […]
March 7, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at March 7, 2021
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Trade secret litigation invariably involves ESI. Craig Ball has written “What’s in a Name (or Hash Value)?,” discussing the use of hash values and file names in tracking down stolen data. In “The Gang That Couldn’t Spoliate Straight,” I discussed an order that the alleged wrongdoer preserve ESI and the potential issues […]
February 14, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at February 14, 2021
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Marc Hirschfeld’s presentation at Legal Week, “Navigating the Pitfalls of E-Discovery for Boutique Litigators,” is well worth watching on Vimeo and Legal Week. Marc is the owner and president of Precision Legal Services. Marc and I have collaborated on many projects. Marc discusses a number of topics in the one-hour video. Among […]
February 12, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at February 12, 2021
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In a February 11, 2021, post, Court Enforces Strict Sanctions For Failing To Be Competent In ESI Obligations | Farrell Fritz, P.C. – JDSupra , the author describes the sanctions decision in In DR Distributors, LLC v. 21 Century Smoking, Inc., a trademark dispute over electronic cigarettes, stating: As noted by Judge Johnson, “[i]t […]
January 24, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at January 24, 2021
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A few years ago, the Hon. Paul W. Grimm wrote: “At the end of the day, this is the case of the ‘gang that couldn’t spoliate straight.’” Victor Stanley, Inc. v. Creative Pipe, Inc., 269 F.R.D. 497, 501 (D. Md. 2010). That description is equally applicable to the conduct that led to a […]
December 28, 2020
Published by Michael Berman at December 28, 2020
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A post in Bloomberg Law, authored by Rebekah Mintzer, describes a “State Attorney Who Sent Threatening Emails to Herself [and Was] Suspended” (June 18, 2020). The article states that the attorney obtained a fictitious email account and sent threatening emails to her official government email address. She then allegedly reported them to […]