Privilege or Work Product Protections – Page 41

United States v. Keystone Sanitation Co., 885 F. Supp. 672 (M.D. Pa. 1994)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Inadvertent disclosure of defense attorney’s emails regarding defendants’ disposition of assets in context of massive production constituted subject matter waiver of attorney-client privilege because precautions taken to avoid such disclosure were not reasonable, defendants ordered to produce unredacted attorney billing memoranda relating to issue

Nature of Case: Environmental litigation

Electronic Data Involved: Email

McCabe v. Ernst & Young, LLP, 221 F.R.D. 423 (D.N.J. 2004)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Magistrate recommended that non-parties’ motion for attorneys’ fees and other costs incurred in appearing for depositions and responding to subpoenas be denied, since non-parties failed to object to subpoenas or condition compliance on reimbursement, and an award of $58,000, without notice to plaintiffs, would be tantamount to severe prejudice

Electronic Data Involved: Email and hard copy documents

Grill v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 2004 WL 2314640 (W.D. Wash. Oct. 7, 2004)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Finding that work product protection did not apply to contested emails, court ordered their production

Nature of Case: Disabled individual alleged violations of ADA

Electronic Data Involved: Email between plaintiff and third party

United States v. Rigas, 281 F. Supp. 2d 733 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Court ruled that no work product waiver occurred when entire computer network account of USAO paralegal was inadvertently copied onto working copy of hard drive held by prosecution as evidence and made available to defense; defense motion to retain privileged documents denied

Nature of Case: Criminal charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud

Electronic Data Involved: Privileged documents on computer hard drive

Hines v. Widnall, 183 F.R.D. 596 (N.D. Fla. 1998)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Granting plaintiff’s’ motion to compel production of computerized images of employment records which were created to facilitate review of the documents by geographically-dispersed defense counsel, court held that images did not constitute attorney work product since images did not contain mental impressions or legal theories and would not give plaintiffs insight into defense strategy or opinions; plaintiffs to pay only nominal copying costs and not portion of $250,000 imaging cost incurred by defendant

Nature of Case: Race discrimination

Electronic Data Involved: Computerized images of employment records

United States v. Stewart, 287 F. Supp. 2d 461 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Court ruled that, although Martha Stewart waived the attorney client privilege when she forwarded to her daughter a privileged email containing her account of the facts surrounding her sale of the stock, she did not waive work product protection

Nature of Case: Criminal proceedings re Stewart’s sale of ImClone stock

Electronic Data Involved: Email

Hollingsworth v. Time Warner Cable, 812 N.E.2d 976 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Where defendant voluntarily divulged a privileged email communication at unemployment hearing and in response to discovery request, defendant waived any privilege with respect to the communication and to testimony and documents regarding the same subject matter; trial court erred in granting the defendant’s motion for return of the communication and for protective order, and in denying plaintiff’s motion to compel

Nature of Case: Wrongful discharge

Electronic Data Involved: Email

United States v. Stewart, 294 F. Supp. 2d 490 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Court denied Stewart’s motion to disqualify the attorney who inadvertently read Stewart’s email from cross-examining her or participating in the preparation of her cross-examination

Nature of Case: Criminal proceedings re Stewart’s sale of ImClone stock

Electronic Data Involved: Email

Johnson v. Bryco Arms, 222 F.R.D. 48 (E.D.N.Y. 2004)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: Federal database containing firearms tracing and licensing data which was maintained by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms was relevant to plaintiffs’ claims, and was not protected by any law enforcement privilege when produced subject to an order of confidentiality; motion to quash subpoena denied

Nature of Case: Negligence action against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of weapon used in robbery

Electronic Data Involved: Database maintained by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

In re Verisign, Inc. Sec. Litig., 2004 WL 2445243 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 10, 2004)

Dec 01 2004

Key Insight: District court upheld magistrate’s order requiring defendants to produce all responsive electronic information in native format

Nature of Case: Securities class action

Electronic Data Involved: Emails

Tag:Privilege or Work Product Protections