New York Appellate Court Adopts Federal Preservation Standards for E-Discovery

New York State’s Appellate Division, First Department, in VOOM HD Holdings LLC v. EchoStar Satellite L.L.C., recently adopted strict federal standards with respect to a party’s obligations to preserve documents prior to litigation. These standards were derived from the landmark Zubulake and Pension Committee opinions of Judge Shira Scheindlin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is the first time that a New York appellate court has applied these standards to sanction a litigant for failing to suspend automatic data destruction practices once it “reasonably anticipated” litigation. The decision provides important clarity in the timing and scope of the preservation obligation. It also raises the bar for companies subject to the jurisdiction of New York state courts, many of whom had previously viewed the obligation to preserve as being triggered only by the commencement of litigation.

To learn more about this, click here to read the client alert that was written by Wayne Matus, John Davis and Aubrey Charette.