Spoliation of Evidence : Sanctions and Remedies for Destruction of Evidence in Civil Litigation

by Koesel, Margaret M.

• ISBN13: 9781590316221
• ISBN10: 1590316223
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: Natl Book Network
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

This book is a practical treatise with practical tips addressing spoliation issues in civil practice. It will help determine what law applies to spoliation issues that arise during pending litigation or in the context of an independent tort claim for spoliation. In addition, it addresses Enron spoliation issues and electronic evidence.

Table of Contents

Dedications	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Acknowledgments to the 2006 Edition	p. xiii
About the Editor	p. xv
About the Authors	p. xvii
The Duty to Preserve Evidence	p. 1
Choice of Law	p. 2
When the Duty to Preserve Evidence Arises	p. 5
When the Duty to Preserve Evidence Arises Independently of Litigation	p. 12
What Evidence Must Be Preserved?	p. 14
Where Evidence Is in the Possession of Third Parties	p. 18
The Impact of Document Retention Policies	p. 25
Issues to Consider When Designing a Document Retention Program	p. 27
Document Retention Requirements	p. 31
Suspension of Document Retention Policy-Litigation or Legal "Hold"	p. 32
Consequences of Not Having a Document Retention Policy	p. 38
Electronic Records and Documents: Special Problems	p. 38
Allocating the Cost Associated with Production of Electronic Data	p. 46
Counsel's Duty to Understand the Client's Data Storage and Retrieval System	p. 49
Electronic or Paper-What Form of Production?	p. 50
Remedies and Sanctions for Spoliation in Pending Litigation	p. 53
Sources of Authority for Sanctions	p. 54
Rules of Civil Procedure	p. 54
Court's Inherent Authority	p. 56
Factors Courts Consider to Remedy Spoliation	p. 58
Culpability of the Offender	p. 61
The Degree of Prejudice Caused by the Spoliator	p. 61
Remedies and Sanctions for Spoliation of Evidence	p. 62
Adverse Jury Inference	p. 62
Exclusion of Evidence or Expert Testimony	p. 71
Dismissal and Default Judgment	p. 74
Other Sanctions and Remedies Imposed in Pending Litigation	p. 77
Independent Causes of Action for Spoliation	p. 81
The Tort of Intentional Spoliation of Evidence	p. 88
The Tort of Negligent Spoliation of Evidence	p. 89
Problematic Elements of the Spoliation Tort	p. 91
Willful Destruction Designed to Disrupt Plaintiff's Case	p. 91
Disruption of Plaintiff's Case	p. 92
Damages Proximately Caused by Spoliation	p. 93
Unavailability of Tort Claim to Defendants	p. 99
When and Where Spoliation Claims Should Be Brought	p. 100
Recent Developments	p. 102
Criminal Sanctions for Spoliation	p. 109
Statutory Record-keeping Obligations	p. 119
The Developing Law of Spoliation in State Civil Courts	p. 125
Alabama	p. 125
Alaska	p. 128
Arizona	p. 132
Arkansas	p. 134
California	p. 137
Colorado	p. 141
Connecticut	p. 143
Delaware	p. 145
District of Columbia	p. 147
Florida	p. 151
Georgia	p. 154
Hawaii	p. 157
Idaho	p. 159
Illinois	p. 160
Indiana	p. 165
Iowa	p. 167
Kansas	p. 169
Kentucky	p. 172
Louisiana	p. 173
Maine	p. 178
Maryland	p. 179
Massachusetts	p. 182
Michigan	p. 185
Minnesota	p. 189
Mississippi	p. 191
Missouri	p. 193
Montana	p. 196
Nebraska	p. 198
Nevada	p. 200
New Hampshire	p. 204
New Jersey	p. 206
New Mexico	p. 210
New York	p. 211
North Carolina	p. 214
Ohio	p. 216
Oklahoma	p. 219
Oregon	p. 222
Pennsylvania	p. 223
Rhode Island	p. 225
South Carolina	p. 227
South Dakota	p. 229
Tennessee	p. 231
Texas	p. 232
Utah	p. 236
Vermont	p. 238
Virginia	p. 239
Washington	p. 243
West Virginia	p. 246
Wisconsin	p. 251
Wyoming	p. 254
The Developing Law of Spoliation in Federal Courts	p. 257
First Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 257
Second Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 260
Third Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 263
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 267
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 271
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 272
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 276
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 279
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 284
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 287
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 290
District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 293
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals	p. 295
Bibliography	p. 297
Document Retention	p. 297
Remedies and Sanctions in Pending Litigation	p. 298
Independent Torts	p. 300
Criminal Sanctions	p. 302
Statutory Record Keeping	p. 302
Treatises/Books	p. 302
Miscellaneous	p. 303
Table of Cases	p. 305
Index	p. 339
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