Complex Lit Blog

Spoliation – Rule 37(e) – Even If Document Retention Policy Violated, Additional Evidence of Bad Faith May Be Required for an Adverse Inference Instruction

Lear Corp. v. NHK Seating of Am. Inc., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 212542, 2022 WL 17176836 (E.D. Mich. Nov. 23, 2022): OPINION AND ORDER DENYING THE DEFENDANTS' [*2] MOTION FOR SANCTIONS BASED ON LEAR'S SPOLIATION OF EVIDENCE [280]

Lear Corp. v. NHK Seating of Am. Inc., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 212542, 2022 WL 17176836 (E.D. Mich. Nov. 23, 2022): OPINION AND ORDER DENYING THE DEFENDANTS’ [*2] MOTION FOR SANCTIONS BASED ON LEAR’S SPOLIATION OF EVIDENCE [280] Lear…

Inherent Power: Does the Clear-and-Convincing Standard Apply to the Inherent Power to Sanction or Only to the Inherent Power to Vacate a Judgment for Fraud on the Court? — Only the Latter in the Sixth Circuit

Jaiyeola v. Toyota Motor N. Am., Inc., 2022 WL 18401018 (6th Cir. 2022) (unpublished): ORDER *1 Ganiyu Ayinla Jaiyeola, a pro se California resident, appeals the district court’s order denying his motion for sanctions against two defense attorneys. Jaiyeola has filed two motions asking this court take judicial notice that he is suing a third defe ...

Spoliation — “Intent” for purposes of Rule 37(e)(2) Is Satisfied If It Is Reasonable to Infer That the Alleged Spoliator Purposefully destroyed evidence to Avoid Its Litigation Obligations

Estate of Moreno v. Corr. Healthcare Cos., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108370, 2020 WL 5740265 (E.D. Wash. June 1, 2020): ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS'

Estate of Moreno v. Corr. Healthcare Cos., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108370, 2020 WL 5740265 (E.D. Wash. June 1, 2020): ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ RULE 37(e) MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT BEFORE THE COURT is Plaintiffs’ Rule 37(e) Motion…

Sixth Circuit Joins Seventh in Holding That The Inherent Power Sanctions May Be Imposed on Third-Party Non-Lawyer (Here, Ex-Lawyer) Engaged in The Unauthorized Practice of Law

United States v. Jones, 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 3317 (6th Cir. Feb. 9, 2023) (unpublished): *1 Following a trial by jury, Defendant Elmer Jones appeals his conviction on four counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in violation of

Fourfold Purpose of Rule 37 Sanctions

Sensiva Health, L.L.C. v. Universal Meditech, Inc., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 223074, *13, 2022 WL 17576345, *5 (E.D. La. Nov. 18, 2022) (Report and Recommendation), modified and adopted (sanction affirmed), Sensiva Health, L.L.C. v. Universal Meditech, Inc., ...

Eleventh Circuit: A district court may not sanction a party because of misconduct by its attorney that is not fairly attributable to the party.

Carter v. Wal-Mart Stores E., LP, 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 1244, 2023 WL 309034 (11th Cir. Jan. 19, 2023) ...

Carter v. Wal-Mart Stores E., LP, 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 1244, 2023 WL 309034 (11th Cir. Jan. 19, 2023) (per curiam): *1 Victoria Carter sued Wal-Mart Stores East, LP, after she slipped and fell in a puddle on the…

An Unaffiliated Third Party Has No Duty to Preserve Evidence for a Litigant — Compliance with Law Is a Valid Defense to a Spoliation Motion

Brown v. Nolen, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 35917 (D.C. Cir. Dec. 29, 2022) (unpublished): JUDGMENT This petition for review was considered on the record from the National Transportation Safety Board and on the briefs and or ...

Brown v. Nolen, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 35917 (D.C. Cir. Dec. 29, 2022) (unpublished): JUDGMENT This petition for review was considered on the record from the National Transportation Safety Board and on the briefs and oral argument of the parties.…

$500 Sanction Under Rule 16(f)(1) Does Not Require Full Criminal Contempt Procedures, Goodyear Notwithstanding — Due Process Failure If Sanctions Imposed For Reasons Not Set Forth in Order to Show Cause — Rule 16(f) Does Not Authorize Sanctions for Lack of Candor, Unlike Rule 11

Banks v. Whambo! Enter., LLC, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 31400, 2022 WL 16918023 (9th Cir. Nov. 14, 2022) (unpublished) Key Takeaways: “Taibi’s reliance on

Banks v. Whambo! Enter., LLC, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 31400, 2022 WL 16918023 (9th Cir. Nov. 14, 2022) (unpublished) Key Takeaways: “Taibi’s reliance on Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Haeger, 137 S. Ct. 1178 (2017), is misplaced. …

Even If Parties Share a Discovery Vendor, the Producing Party Bears the Burden of Ensuring That Its Directions to the Vendor Are Complete And Accurate — The Producing Party Must Certify Its Responses and Production under Rule 26(g)

Am. Consol. Indus., Inc. v. Blasingim, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 226203 (N.D. Ohio Dec. 15, 2022): Key Takeaways Rule 26(g)(1) requires, among other things, that every discovery response or objection "must be signe ...

Am. Consol. Indus., Inc. v. Blasingim, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 226203 (N.D. Ohio Dec. 15, 2022): Key Takeaways Rule 26(g)(1) requires, among other things, that every discovery response or objection “must be signed by at least one attorney of record.” …

Rule 37 sanctions must flow from the discovery violation

ADASA Inc. v. Avery Dennison Corp., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 34765, 2022 WL 17725736 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 16, 2022): Key Takeaway: “The district court’s award inappropriately includes in the sanction the timely disclosed RFID tags, for which there was no discovery violation and no established harm to ADASA. Cf.

ADASA Inc. v. Avery Dennison Corp., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 34765, 2022 WL 17725736 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 16, 2022): Key Takeaway: “The district court’s award inappropriately includes in the sanction the timely disclosed RFID tags, for which there was no …

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Spoliation – Rule 37(e) – Even If Document Retention Policy Violated, Additional Evidence of Bad Faith May Be Required for an Adverse Inference Instruction

Inherent Power: Does the Clear-and-Convincing Standard Apply to the Inherent Power to Sanction or Only to the Inherent Power to Vacate a Judgment for Fraud on the Court? — Only the Latter in the Sixth Circuit

Spoliation — “Intent” for purposes of Rule 37(e)(2) Is Satisfied If It Is Reasonable to Infer That the Alleged Spoliator Purposefully destroyed evidence to Avoid Its Litigation Obligations

Sixth Circuit Joins Seventh in Holding That The Inherent Power Sanctions May Be Imposed on Third-Party Non-Lawyer (Here, Ex-Lawyer) Engaged in The Unauthorized Practice of Law

Fourfold Purpose of Rule 37 Sanctions

Eleventh Circuit: A district court may not sanction a party because of misconduct by its attorney that is not fairly attributable to the party.

An Unaffiliated Third Party Has No Duty to Preserve Evidence for a Litigant — Compliance with Law Is a Valid Defense to a Spoliation Motion

$500 Sanction Under Rule 16(f)(1) Does Not Require Full Criminal Contempt Procedures, Goodyear Notwithstanding — Due Process Failure If Sanctions Imposed For Reasons Not Set Forth in Order to Show Cause — Rule 16(f) Does Not Authorize Sanctions for Lack of Candor, Unlike Rule 11

Even If Parties Share a Discovery Vendor, the Producing Party Bears the Burden of Ensuring That Its Directions to the Vendor Are Complete And Accurate — The Producing Party Must Certify Its Responses and Production under Rule 26(g)

Rule 37 sanctions must flow from the discovery violation

Recent Posts

RICO: Indirect Injury Unrecoverable — Indirect Purchaser Rule Imported from Antitrust

RICO: No Causation Where Harm Flowed Several Steps After the Fraudulent Acts — RICO Causation Same As Antitrust Causation

Sanctions vs. Automatic Stay: Imposition of Sanctions (Here, Inherent Power Sanctions) Is Subject to the Police Power Exception to the Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy

The Word “Include” May Be A Word of Limitation As Opposed to a Word of Enlargement, Depending on the Context

Spoliation/Sanctions: “A Party Does Not Spoliate Evidence When, Without Notice Of The Evidence’s Potential Relevance, It Destroys The Evidence According To Its Policy Or In The Normal Course Of Its Business” (Good Quote)

Archives

New York Office