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November 12, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at November 12, 2023
Categories
In Bland v. Emcor Facilities Services Inc., 2023 WL 6937418 (Apls. Ct. Md. Oct. 20, 2023)(unreported), the Appellate Court of Maryland rejected a litigant’s narrow interpretation of two interrogatories and affirmed the imposition of sanctions.[1] Mr. Bland sued Emcor and LMC for negligence after a slip and fall on ice at his […]
September 8, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at September 8, 2023
Categories
In CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Spiniello Global, Inc., 2023 WL 5515979 (D. Md. Aug. 25, 2023)(Bredar, C.J.), the Court denied spoliation motions, in part because they were filed too late. The plaintiff owned and operated the coal shipment facility. Defendants included the City of Baltimore and “Spiniello,” a contractor. The dispute centered […]
June 6, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at June 6, 2023
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The federal Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (the “Standing Committee”) has posted pending amendments to the federal appellate rules, bankruptcy rules, civil rules, criminal rules, and evidence rules. The Standing Committee explained that: “An amendment to a federal rule generally takes about three years.” Rules are promulgated under the Rules […]
April 10, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at April 10, 2023
Categories
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 […]
March 15, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 15, 2023
Categories
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, […]
March 7, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 7, 2023
Categories
This post is not political. It is about redactions and confidentiality. Erik Wemple wrote Opinion | What is Fox News hiding in the Dominion lawsuit? – The Washington Post (Mar. 6, 2023). He describes documents produced in discovery with heavy redactions and asks what is being hidden. The redactions that he reproduced […]
August 14, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at August 14, 2022
Categories
“Hit reports” have various names.[1] One issue that has often arisen is whether a producing party must produce every document on a hit report requested by an opponent, even if irrelevant or nonresponsive to discovery requests. Craig Ball has blogged on this issue since 2013. However, his recent blog explains that “the […]
June 1, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at June 1, 2022
Categories
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 […]
March 17, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 17, 2022
Categories
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 […]
March 12, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 12, 2022
Categories
Taxation of costs in federal court is governed by 28 U.S.C. §1920. An ABA Litigation Section article, W. Newman, Prevailing Parties Recover Some, Not All, E-discovery Costs (americanbar.org) (ABA Winter 2022), cited a recent decision and noted that “ABA Litigation Section leaders believe this decision reveals that section 1920 is out of […]
December 18, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at December 18, 2021
Categories
In its 209th Report, the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure proposed a number of rules changes. The proposals were transmitted to the Court of Appeals on December 10, 2021. The comment period will close on January 10, 2022. The date of the Court’s open meeting on the proposed changes […]