Category Archives: eDiscovery California

Dancing ‘Geek to Geek’ – Judges’ Panel Weighs in on California AB 5, ‘Train Wrecks’ and the ‘Mayflower’

If this keeps up, I’m going to rename this site the ‘Hot Potato‘ blog…

j0404952
 I’ve posted ad nauseam about how parties want to rid themselves of the e-discovery hot potato, but throwing it to the Judge?  Not so fast, says the Hon. Andrew J. Wistrich.  You can try, but he won’t play the game!  That was one of the morsels from the Judges’ Panel, which also included the Hon. Maureen Duffy-Lewis and the Hon. Carl J. West.

I like Judges.  They’re always more candid than I expect, and as some of you have probably figured out from my prior writing, I like candor.  Don’t beat around the bush, don’t use fancy language, just tell me what you mean!  I certainly got a lot of that from this panel.  It was the best 75 minutes a person interested/involved in e-discovery could spend, because it tells us where things are headed in the minds of the Judges – and ultimately, they’re the ones we are speaking to, not only our adversaries.

What was the most important concern to the panel?  Cost!

Judge West lead off the discussion and to my delight, he immediately weighed in on California AB 5, noting the pending March 3rd hearing and saying he expects the Bill to be adopted either by late this quarter or the next.  My take?  California finally reached a budget deal, so we’ll see if that development facilitates the passage of AB 5.

Judge West was concerned about two seemingly-contradictory provisions in the Bill; one, which discusses imposition of sanctions, and the other, which defines Safe Harbor.  He noted there were several exceptions to Safe Harbor that might incur sanctions.  That reminded me of law school.  As my professor used to constantly warn, “Everyone knows the rule, but they’ll test you on your knowledge of the exceptions to the rule”.

He also mentioned that more and more, he’s seeing each party provide a technology expert at hearings, and that many times it becomes an ‘expert versus expert’ issue.  That’s when he coined the phrase, credited to another Judge, that the parties should have their respective experts ‘dance geek to geek’.  I just want the Judge to know I haven’t worn horn-rim glasses since grade school…

Judge Duffy-Lewis spoke next…

She’s involved with what we refer to in California as ‘Fast Track’, but she came right out and said it; e-discovery hearings in her courtroom sometimes resemble “train wrecks”.  She said this occurs because she doesn’t see cases until they’re 90 days out and many of the lawyers wait to file motions until their case is about to be heard.

She would like to see attorneys dive right in as soon as possible and not wait.  They should begin submitting motions early related to issues of privilege, preservation and notice.

A major issue is how to handle privileged documents.  For example, I don’t want to turn over to the other side a document that contains information I’m going to use to impeach my adversary.  That’s easier when you’re talking about a paper document, but not so easy when the particular statement you need is buried in a 20-page email thread between multiple custodians that contains other relevant statements.

Judge Duffy-Lewis’ solution was to create something called an Impeachment Log.  The attorneys submit the documents to her, then she makes the determination, preserving the privilege.  Brilliant!

What does she see in the future?  Recommending a status conference will become virtually mandatory for e-discovery issues, and she predicts the appointment of special masters will become more prevalent.

Judge Wistrich completed the trifecta.  Talk about candor!  He’s a Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (I’m a member also) so his was the Federal view.

Judge Wistrich didn’t mince words.  He said the “rules have helped, but haven’t solved the problem.”

What problem?  The adversarial system and the natural tension created by asking parties – that by virtue are required to keep things close to the vest – to break that habit to cooperate on e-discovery issues.  He said the parties are going to have to get around that problem because in many cases, the experts are going to ask for – and be granted – access to their adversaries’ data.

He also said he’s “uncomfortable” because, “I’m not sure I know enough”, and is “concerned” that e-discovery is going to end up adding another layer – experts – to the front-end of the process, further bogging it down.

Still, like Duffy-Lewis, he says attorneys had better be prepared to take the pro-active approach.  He clearly understands his role and will not let the parties try to shift decisions to the bench that don’t belong there.

He also discussed Mancia v. Mayflower Textile Servs. Co.,
2008 WL 4595175 (D.Md. Oct. 15, 2008) and its effect on Rule 26(g).  I wasn’t surprised that Chief
Magistrate Judge Paul W. Grimm would be cited at the conference, since he’s one of the pioneers in this area.  Wistrich said that, when faced with issues of good faith, he orders the parties to videotape all further meet & confer discussions.  Strangely, he noted, their behavior improves immediately.

Bravo!

e-Discovery California: AB 5: A Little Legislative Love

j0308987If you happen to catch the news, you’ll see photos of California state legislators sleeping in all-night session this past weekend as they tried to hammer out a budget agreement to stave off insolvency.

Nevertheless, they found time on Valentine’s Day to re-refer AB 5 – the California Electronic Discovery Act – to the committee on the judiciary.

Forgive me if you think this information isn’t worthy of a post.  It seems to me that my job is to bring you whatever information is available, then let you decide whether it has merit.

e-Discovery California: AB 5 – Electronic Discovery Act

j0309434Back in October of this year, I wrote about Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto of AB 926 (e-discovery California rules) and humorously predicted, “They’ll be Ba-a-a-ck!“.  Well, it didn’t take long…

Noreen Evans (D-Napa) has introduced AB 5, the “Electronic Discovery Act”, which is winding its way through the system.
It’s virtually identical to AB 926, but contains an urgency clause,
which means that if the Governor signs it, it’ll take effect
immediately.

Some were of the opinion the issue was dead for a year.  I didn’t share that view.  No, I don’t have a crystal ball (or a Magic 8-ball, for that matter).  I’m not The Amazing Kreskin – assuming anyone remembers him.  To be honest, my opinion sprang from pure logic.  These rules must be implemented if we’re to have any uniformity in California courts.  The only concern to me was how long it would take to enact.

Will the Governor sign the bill?  What does the Magic 8-ball say?

[UPDATE Feb 6, 2009 – There’s been further action on AB 5]

I Can’t Really go to Jail over this…Can I?

As sanctions mount for those who have run afoul of the new e-discovery rules, debate is raging about criminal liability.  To some, the threat is very real.  They recommend extreme caution.  To others, it’s nothing more than a scare tactic.  They say the threat of incurring criminal liability over an e-discovery issue is slim to none.

Who is right?

I’ve neglected to link articles from both sides of the debate.  The reason; it’s not my place to criticize the writers – they make very strong arguments, for and against.  It just so happens that, in my opinion, the answer is somewhere in between.  Perhaps the reason many people think that criminal liability
is unlikely to attach flows from the possibility that they’re not thinking broadly enough.  In other words, they’re not taking into account who might be ensnared in the e-discovery net.

ca. 1990s --- Cat Staring at Goldfish --- Image by © Aaron Horowitz/CORBIS

The logic works in reverse.  The higher up in the e-discovery food chain you are, the more likely you’ll be eaten.  The small fry aren’t likely to get themselves in trouble, barring egregious conduct of some sort.  The standard of what would rise to the level of a criminal act may be high – but the liability exists.  So, who should be looking over their shoulder?

The White House (possibly violating the Federal Records Act), A former Broadcom Corporation executive (accused of obstruction of justice) and former Credit Suisse First Boston investment banker Frank Quattrone (also accused of obstruction and witness tampering) who endured a four-year ordeal for encouraging his employees to essentially ‘clean up those files’.

And the lawyers?  Six of them were referred to the State Bar of California for possible ethical violations in the Qualcomm v. Broadcom case.  A crime?  No, but facing various penalties up to and including disbarment, my guess is it feels like a crime to them.

If you reviewed the links, you’ll note that I’m not necessarily
concerned with whether the principal was convicted of – or plead guilty to –
committing a crime.  It’s scary enough just reading what actually happened – or could happen.

We’ve all heard the term, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”  That rule-of-thumb applies to e-discovery also.  One can commit a crime without realizing it.

j0387725If you’re a tech, and the boss tells you to delete data – and you simply follow his orders – if he instructed you in order to hide wrongdoing, he’s likely to be in trouble, but what about you?  If the facts are as stated, probably not.  But what if your company has an ESI policy, your boss’ instruction violates that policy, you know this, but you do it anyway?  Did you just become an accomplice to a crime?  Will the common explanation, “I was just following orders” get you off the hook?

Obviously, we’re not taking a crash-course on criminal law today.  There are so many hypothetical scenarios that could occur, with so many different facts that it would be impossible – and irresponsible on my part – to attempt to tackle all of them in a blawg post.

What I endeavor to do is to impress upon you that a snap decision that didn’t make you think twice in the past could burn you in the future.  ESI for it’s own sake doesn’t normally make one think of crimes.  But now, we’ve entered a new arena.  The law is involved, and if data “goes missing” in this context, your adversary – or the court – may infer that something fishy is going on.

Is it worth the time, expense, stress, loss of reputation and threat of incarceration?  The outcome is beside the point.  Even if you’re exonerated, where do you go to get your lost time, money and reputation back?

e-Discovery California Rules: They’ll be Ba-a-a-ck!

j0339246Relief – or opportunity?

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘terminated‘ – albeit temporarily – Assembly Bill No. 926, the proposed e-discovery California rules (Sorry – I just couldn’t help myself).

Depending upon the source you consult, you’ll either take the Governor at his word that his veto is due to the lack of a budget agreement, or perhaps you’ll suspect that other political considerations are involved.  Politics are politics.  Although I’ve been preparing for implementation of the new e-discovery California rules, I’ve also been around politics long enough to know that these things rarely happen on schedule.

Make no mistake, formal rules are coming to California.  In several states, they’ve already arrived.  This is a ‘golden’ opportunity for Corporations and Law Firms in California – or serving California – to get ahead of the game.

The State Bar of California concurs.  “Several major cases in recent years highlight the perils of electronic discovery
gone wrong and illustrate the risks of failing to have in place document preservation
procedures and litigation hold policies.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.