Discovery

5th Circuit Keeps Count: It has kicked federal judge off 6 cases, thrice reversed his discovery refusals

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of the Southern District of Texas has taken another drubbing from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans, this time for limiting discovery in an age discrimination lawsuit.

May 31, 2022 8:23 AM CDT

Judge criticizes ‘nasty litigation tactics’ while sanctioning BigLaw firm

A federal judge in Colorado has sanctioned Seyfarth Shaw and its client for misconduct during the discovery process.

May 17, 2022 11:26 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Judge lifts Trump sanction, for now; $997M settlement offered in condo collapse

Judge willing to accept $110K, cooperation to end Trump sanction A trial-level judge in New York lifted a $10,000 daily civil contempt sanction against former President Donald Trump on Wednesday. But Judge Arthur Engoron warned that the sanction could be reinstated if Trump doesn’t pay $110,000 in accumulated fines and…

May 13, 2022 2:37 PM CDT

California bill would discourage secrecy in court orders and settlements

A bill that cleared California’s Senate Judiciary Committee last month would discourage secrecy about safety hazards discovered in litigation.

May 12, 2022 8:31 AM CDT

Former paralegal in federal prosecution office is convicted for outing witnesses

A former paralegal at the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey was convicted Tuesday based on accusations that she outed cooperating witnesses against her gang member son.

Apr 29, 2022 2:06 PM CDT

‘Seasoned litigator’ fails to persuade 7th Circuit that sanction was demeaning and too harsh

A federal appeals court has refused to disturb a sanction imposed against a Chicago lawyer for “repeatedly asserting baseless claims” to support personal jurisdiction and then dodging discovery on the issue through his client’s evasive answers.

Apr 14, 2022 9:57 AM CDT

Google’s ‘privileged’ email labeling, said to prevent lawsuit disclosure, was ‘eyebrow raising,’ judge says

Google’s alleged effort to shield emails from lawsuit disclosure through labeling was “eyebrow raising” but probably not sanctionable, a federal judge said Friday.

Apr 11, 2022 1:37 PM CDT

Prosecutors in this city are ‘leaving in droves;’ what’s to blame?

Prosecutors in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City are increasingly leaving their jobs as they struggle with higher workloads attributed to new discovery laws in New York.

Apr 5, 2022 1:36 PM CDT

BLM protest leader can be sued for officer’s injuries, top state court says

The leader of a Black Lives Matter protest can be held liable for injuries to a police officer caused by another person during the demonstration, the Louisiana Supreme Court said Friday.

Mar 30, 2022 12:34 PM CDT

Google gamed attorney-client privilege, DOJ says in sanctions motion

As a way to undermine discovery, Google directs employees to add attorneys and seek legal advice in writing for “ordinary-course business communications,” according to a March 21 sanctions motion filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is suing the company for alleged antitrust violations.

Mar 22, 2022 10:27 AM CDT

SCOTUS rules against Muslims who sued over FBI spying, holds state secrets privilege applies

A federal law that allows a remedy for those illegally subjected to electronic surveillance does not displace the common-law state secrets privilege, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Mar 4, 2022 12:10 PM CST

Sandy Hook families reach $73M settlement in suit targeting gun marketing

Gunmaker Remington Arms has agreed to a $73 million settlement in a lawsuit targeting its marketing of the automatic rifle used in the 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Feb 16, 2022 9:18 AM CST

How an e-discovery platform has evolved to meet the new challenges facing clients

AJ Shankar, the founder and CEO of e-discovery platform Everlaw, likes to say his company’s technology is designed to help clients find needles in a haystack.

Dec 15, 2021 8:49 AM CST

Judge imposes default judgment against former Littler Mendelson client for ‘subversive approach to discovery’

A federal judge in Mobile, Alabama, has imposed a default judgment against an Alabama steel mill once represented by Littler Mendelson because an attempt to hide payroll records “poisoned the entirety of this case.”

Nov 22, 2021 3:58 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: New charges against lawyer accused of staging his shooting; Christian florist settles

Suspended lawyer Alex Murdaugh faces new charges Suspended South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, previously charged in an alleged scheme to have himself killed for insurance money, is facing 27 new charges as the result of five indictments by a South Carolina state grand jury. The indictments allege that Murdaugh stole…

Nov 19, 2021 4:14 PM CST