Archive - December 1, 2004

1
OpenTV v. Liberate Tech., 219 F.R.D. 474 (N.D. Cal. 2003)
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Nutrition Mgmt. v. Harborside Healthcare Corp., 2004 WL 887401 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 19, 2004)
3
Nicholas v. Windham Int’l, Inc., 373 F.3d 537 (4th Cir. 2004)
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Nat’l Assoc. of Radiation Survivors v. Turnage, 115 F.R.D. 543 (N.D. Cal. 1987)
5
Murlas Living Trust v. Mobil Oil Corp., 1995 WL 124186 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 20, 1999)
6
Munshani v. Signal Lake Venture Fund II, LP, 805 N.E.2d 998 (Mass. App. Ct. 2004)
7
Multitechnology Servs., L.P. v. Verizon Southwest, 2004 WL 1553480 (N.D. Tex. July 12, 2004)
8
MPCT Solutions Corp. v. Methe, 1999 WL 495115 (N.D. Ill. July 2, 1999)
9
Momah v. Albert Einstein Med. Center, 164 F.R.D. 412 (E.D. Pa. 1996)
10
Metro. Opera Ass’n, Inc. v. Local 100, 332 F. Supp. 2d 667 (S.D.N.Y. 2004)

OpenTV v. Liberate Tech., 219 F.R.D. 474 (N.D. Cal. 2003)

Key Insight: Applying Zubulake balancing test, court ordered parties to share equally the cost of extracting source code from defendant’s database; however, defendant solely to bear cost of copying source code for production once it is extracted

Nature of Case: Infringement action

Electronic Data Involved: Source code

Nutrition Mgmt. v. Harborside Healthcare Corp., 2004 WL 887401 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 19, 2004)

Key Insight: Court denied plaintiff’s motion in limine to preclude testimony, which was based on speculation that email had been destroyed, since defendants produced sworn testimony that all relevant emails were produced, and legitimate reason for erasing some emails “was simply a function of cleaning the junk mail and other clutter from the computer software and disk storage space”

Nature of Case: Breach of contract and tort claims

Electronic Data Involved: Email

Nicholas v. Windham Int’l, Inc., 373 F.3d 537 (4th Cir. 2004)

Key Insight: No abuse of discretion to deny enforcement of subpoena directed to plaintiffs’ nonparty company where defendants had already deposed plaintiffs and conceded that the company would have no additional information, plaintiffs would be designated Rule 30(b)(6) witnesses if discovery were allowed, and plaintiffs had already produced email from their business accounts and remained under a continuing obligation to supplement their earlier productions

Nature of Case: Ancillary proceeding to enforce subpoena

Electronic Data Involved: Email

Nat’l Assoc. of Radiation Survivors v. Turnage, 115 F.R.D. 543 (N.D. Cal. 1987)

Key Insight: Failure to produce computer data and other discovery abuses warranted imposition of monetary sanctions against defendant ($105,000 paid to plaintiffs and $15,000 paid to clerk of court “for the unnecessary consumption of the court’s time and resources”) and appointment of special master at defendant’s expense for purpose of monitoring its compliance with all further discovery

Nature of Case: Class action brought by veterans for alleged exposure to radiation during service with armed forces

Electronic Data Involved: Two V.A. computer systems (databases)

Murlas Living Trust v. Mobil Oil Corp., 1995 WL 124186 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 20, 1999)

Key Insight: Defendant not required to produce entire database; defendant ordered to re-search database for information relevant to subject property and if further information found, to produce it

Nature of Case: Lessor sued for contract breach and related claims stemming from leaking underground storage tank

Electronic Data Involved: Database containing information re facilities with leaking underground storage tanks

Munshani v. Signal Lake Venture Fund II, LP, 805 N.E.2d 998 (Mass. App. Ct. 2004)

Key Insight: Dismissal of complaint was appropriate sanction for fraud on the court consisting of plaintiff’s forging email, swearing to its authenticity, and continuing to insist on its authenticity while independent computer expert investigated the matter and ultimately concluded the email was fabricated; plaintiff ordered to pay costs and fees of expert and defendants’ attorney’s fees and costs related to discovery of the fraud

Nature of Case: Breach of contract

Electronic Data Involved: Forged email

Multitechnology Servs., L.P. v. Verizon Southwest, 2004 WL 1553480 (N.D. Tex. July 12, 2004)

Key Insight: Court ordered cost-shifting (50/50) where plaintiff sought information about Verizon’s past and present customers even though material was not “inaccessible” under Zubulake analysis, since data was available in Verizon’s computer databases or archives

Nature of Case: Breach of contract and related claims

Electronic Data Involved: Computerized customer data

MPCT Solutions Corp. v. Methe, 1999 WL 495115 (N.D. Ill. July 2, 1999)

Key Insight: Sanctions in form of preliminary injunction preventing defendant from contacting MPCT clients granted, after defendant violated preservation order by deleting documents from laptop and defragmenting hard drive, thus preventing the recovery of deleted data

Nature of Case: Enforcement of non-competition agreement

Electronic Data Involved: Electronic documents stored on laptop

Metro. Opera Ass’n, Inc. v. Local 100, 332 F. Supp. 2d 667 (S.D.N.Y. 2004)

Key Insight: Judge denied defendants’ motion to disqualify him from further proceedings, which argued that judge’s appearance at electronic discovery CLE, where he gave presentation entitled “How a Judge Expects You To Handle Electronic Records in Discovery” and discussed the case, had the appearance of partiality

Nature of Case: Opera company sued union

Electronic Data Involved: Electronic discovery CLE presentation by judge

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