E-Discovery LLC – Mediation of E-Discovery Disputes
Home| E-Discovery LLC
Two weeks before trial, the defense disclosed an expert opinion: “Mr. Williams [the plaintiff] presents one issue on appeal: whether the circuit court abused its discretion when it denied his motion to strike [defendant] Transdev’s supplemental expert designation.” Williams v. Transdev Services, Inc., 2025 WL 2416427 (Appl. Ct. Md. Aug. 21, 2025)(unreported).[1] […]| E-Discovery LLC
Golat v. Wisconsin State Court System, 2025 WL 2390556 (W.D. Wisc. Aug. 18, 2025), involved a motion to compel that was not prompt, not ripe, and not complete. The court wrote: Parties must allow a reasonable amount of time for the other side to address alleged discovery deficiencies. Waiting until the last […]| E-Discovery LLC
In EEOC v. Mia Aesthetics Clinic, ATL, LLC, No. 1:24-CV-3407-MLB-AWH (N.D. Ga. Aug. 18, 2025)(“Mia Aesthetics II”), Mia Aesthetics, in my words, tried to “rewrite” a court order. That unsuccessful effort led to appointment of a third-party ESI vendor at defendants’ cost. In a prior decision, the court had ordered defendants to […]| E-Discovery LLC
Kaylee was wonderful. A friend. A connector and builder. A supporter. A beautiful person. A shining light. I cannot say it better than: Craig Ball, Ball in your Court | Musings on e-discovery & forensics. (Aug. 19, 2025). “Writing through tears, I am heartbroken to share that Kaylee Walstad has died suddenly […]| E-Discovery LLC
I appreciate the Maryland State Bar Association’s publication of my blog post – Criminal Conviction Reversed After State Failed to Timely & Fully Disclose its Use of a Type of Artificial Intelligence | Maryland State Bar Association (Aug. 13, 2025). Please see my second blog on Facial Recognition Technology – Maryland’s Facial Recognition Technology Statute […]| E-Discovery LLC
The Baltimore Sun reports that the USX-1 Defiant, is a fully autonomous vessel, “which can sail without a crew….” Baltimore Sun (Aug. 17, 2025). The ship is the product of five years of work and: “The premise of the project was to make a naval ship that operates like a Roomba.” Id. […]| E-Discovery LLC
A pro se litigant unsuccessfully argued that (1) as a pro se litigant, she should not have been required to timely comply with all the rules; and, (2) she had requested and received an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to take “as much time as needed….” Chieffallo v. Morgan Properties […]| E-Discovery LLC
The standard for reopening completed depositions to address after-produced documents was explained in In re Sandisk SSDs Litigation, 2025 WL 2304805 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 11, 2025). The court stated that: “Plaintiffs move to reopen fact discovery to reopen three depositions of Defendants’ employees in light of Defendants’ belated production of documents that […]| E-Discovery LLC
I recently published a blog on Johnson v. State, 2025 WL 2237582, at *1 (Appl. Ct. Md. Aug. 6, 2025)(unreported), titled Criminal Conviction Reversed After State Failed to Timely & Fully Disclose its Use of a Type of Artificial Intelligence (Aug. 1, 2025). In that decision, the Court reversed a criminal conviction […]| E-Discovery LLC
Plaintiff’s offensive motion for sanctions in Oakley v. MSG Networks, Inc., 2025 WL 2076080, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. July 23, 2025)(“Oakley II”), was no match for defendants’ earlier request for sanctions in Oakley v. MSG Networks, Inc., 2025 WL 2061665, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. July 23, 2025)(“Oakley I”). In Oak| E-Discovery LLC
In this alleged wrongful termination and retaliation case, a “whistleblower” complaint was dismissed and monetary sanctions were also imposed. Pable v. Chicago Transit Authority, __ F. 4th __, 2025 WL 2102202 (7th Cir. Jul. 28, 2025). The appellate court affirmed sanctions against both an attorne| E-Discovery LLC
In Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm'n v. Genesh, Inc., No. 24-2445-DDC-ADM (D. Kans. Jul. 18, 2025) (“Genesh IV”), after several rulings adverse to Genesh, the court appointed a Special Master to facilitate the plaintiff EEOC’s discovery from the defendant, Genesh, Inc. THE UNDERLYING CLAIMS “Genesh II| E-Discovery LLC
Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. Lambert, __ Md. App. __, 2025 WL 1291491 (Appl. Ct. Md. May 5, 2025), addressed the important issue of “apex” depositions in the governmental context. Plaintiffs, a parent and a school-age minor, in a personal injury claim against a school system sought the| E-Discovery LLC
Bloomberg Law reports that Meta Files for Appellate Relief to Bar Zuckerberg Deposition (Jul. 11, 2025). Mr. Ufonobong Umanah wrote that “Meta claims Ninth Circuit courts have split over apex doctrine.” He added: The presumption that CEOs get to avoid depositions—formalized under the apex doctrin| E-Discovery LLC
The Hon. Paul W. Grimm (ret.) recently wrote an OpEd stating that the Legal Profession Must ‘Speak Out’ Against Unfair Attacks (duke.edu)(Oct. 24, 2023). Judge Grimm called for members of the legal profession to defend judges “now, and with a renewed sense of urgency.” NBC reported that Colorad| E-Discovery LLC
The Hon. Paul W. Grimm (ret.) has written about the organized Bar’s duty to support the judiciary from unwarranted attacks. OpEd: Legal Profession Must ‘Speak Out’ Against Unfair Attacks (duke.edu)(Oct. 24, 2023). I have echoed Judge Grimm’s message. I Hear Crickets From the American Bar As| E-Discovery LLC
The Hon. Paul W. Grimm, a retired U.S. District Judge, wrote an article, The Judiciary Is Under Attack. Lawyers Have a Duty to Defend It (bloomberglaw.com)(Oct. 24, 2023). As Judge Grimm points out, here in Maryland a Circuit Court Judge was murdered in his driveway last week. While no one has b| E-Discovery LLC
“To hear crickets” means “silence.”[1] That is what I hear from the American Bar Association regarding the threats to the Justices on the Colorado Supreme Court. The Colorado Supreme Court issued a controversial decision. Anderson v. Griswold, 2023 Co. 63, __ P.3d __, 2023 WL 8770111 (Dec. 19,| E-Discovery LLC
Rep. Randy Fine has filed an article of impeachment against the Hon. Charles Breyer for His Honor’s ruling in Newsom v. Trump, __ F. Supp. 3d __, 2025 WL 1663345 (N.D. Cal. June 12, 2025), stay granted, __ F. 4th __, 2025 WL 1712930 (9th Cir. June 19, 2025). The lawsuit is a challenge by the Governo| E-Discovery LLC
In Giant of Maryland LLC v. Webb, __ A.3d__, 2021 WL 733828 (Md. Ct. Spl. Apls. Feb. 25, 2021), Maryland’s intermediate appellate court defined spoliation to require intent and recognized that negligence may suffice. The Court’s holding was that, because the moving party failed to provide an adequa| E-Discovery LLC
In Sterling Computers Corporation v. International Busn. Machines Corp., 2024 WL 5168014 (D. S. Dak. Dec. 19, 2024), the court addressed: (1) whether the duty to meet and confer before moving to compel extends the time for filing such a motion; and, (2) how to show that an opponent’s production is i| E-Discovery LLC
In the ancient year of 2009, Gil Greenman and James Weingarten, of Williams & Connolly LLP, wrote “Beware the Use of Absolute Language Regarding Electronically Stored Information,” 9 Digital Discovery and e-Evidence 11 (BNA Nov. 1, 2009). Their thesis was simple and correct: “All,” “any,” an| E-Discovery LLC
In a 2021 blog, I wrote that Requests for “Any and All” Documents Are Obsolete. That blog suggests alternative approaches. Recently, in Nelson v. I.Q. Data International, Inc., 2024 WL 2963790 (E.D. Mich. June 12, 2024), the court wrote: Courts have long condemned omnibus “any and all” document| E-Discovery LLC
Thanks to Sidley Austin for publishing a blog on Ravin Crossbows, LLC v. Hunter’s Manufacturing Company, Inc., 2024 WL 3253265 (E.D. Ohio July 1, 2024), August’s Notable Cases and Events in E-Discovery | Insights | Sidley Austin LLP (Aug. 21, 2024) and August’s Notable Cases and Events in E-Discover| E-Discovery LLC
In The Loan Source Inc. v. Newity LLC, 2025 WL 1755230 (D. Del. Jun. 25, 2025), plaintiffs’ request for production number 19 sought documents “sufficient to show Defendants’ efforts to settle a lawsuit….” Their motion to compel was granted over relevance and other objections. The court wrote: “Th| E-Discovery LLC
This is Part III of a three-part blog comparing disclosure of public records under the Maryland PIA and civil discovery under the Maryland Rules. The prior blogs can be found using the PIA "tag," above. Prior blogs addressed many similarities between the PIA and civil discovery, THE ANTIQUATED PI| E-Discovery LLC
In Baltimore County improperly withheld some documents sought by former official, judge says – Baltimore Sun (Mar. 13, 2024), Jeff Barker reported on a decision by The Hon. Michael J. Finifter under Maryland’s sunshine law, known as the “Maryland Public Information Act.” The MPIA is Maryland’s anal| E-Discovery LLC
In Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, 2025 WL 662896 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 28, 2025), the court granted in part and denied in part a motion to quash subpoenas issued to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile (the “Wayfarer Parties”) by Ms. Blake Lively. Contextually, the litigation has been described in popular m| E-Discovery LLC
In Membreno v. Atlanta Restaurant Partners, LLC, 2021 WL 351174 (D. Md. Feb. 2, 2021), the Court penalized a litigant for her untimely filing of a spoliation motion, even though the motion had merit. While the Court granted the request for sanctions, it denied a request for attorneys’ fees due to t| E-Discovery LLC
In CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Spiniello Global, Inc., 2023 WL 5515979 (D. Md. Aug. 25, 2023)(Bredar, C.J.), the Court denied spoliation motions, in part because they were filed too late. The plaintiff owned and operated the coal shipment facility. Defendants included the City of Baltimore and “| E-Discovery LLC
Litigants cannot use a spoliation motion to bring an untimely discovery dispute to the court. Rains v. Westminster College, 2023 WL 2894506, at *4 n. 44, passim (D. Ut. Apr. 11, 2023). While Rains presented several examples of disguising an untimely motion to compel as a sanctions motion, the “b| E-Discovery LLC
Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, 2025 WL 1591282 (S.D.N.Y. June 5, 2025), is another in a series of discovery decisions in the dispute involving Ms. Blake Lively and Mr. Justin Baldoni, among many others. See, e.g., “It Ends With Us” (Apr. 8, 2025); Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, 2025 WL 1397047 (S| E-Discovery LLC
In Webb v. Giant of Maryland, LLC, __ Md. __, 2021 WL 6016453, at *1 (Dec. 21, 2021), the Court held that it was error to instruct the jury on spoliation on the facts presented. The store where plaintiff was injured had more than 30 cameras in operation and was notified of its duty to preserve. It| E-Discovery LLC
An unreported decision of the intermediate appellate court provides an interesting contrast to Steamfitters Local Union No. 602 v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 469 Md. 704 (2020), which is discussed in a prior blog. In Benson v. ALDI, Inc., 2019 WL 5704532 (Md. Ct. Spl. Apls. Nov. 5, 2019), summary j| E-Discovery LLC
“I just delete. I delete - delete. Anything there that I don’t want, don’t need anymore, I delete.” Peterson v. Evapco, Inc., 238 Md. App. 1, 21 (2018). That is an invitation to disaster. Steamfitters Local Union No. 602 v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 469 Md. 704 (2020), involved spoliation in the| E-Discovery LLC
The prior blog discussed the historical acceptance of technology assisted review. However, keyword searching remains an important and useful tool. Mark Twain wrote: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated….” The same may be true of keyword searching. While there are many decisions and| E-Discovery LLC
In Felder v. MGM National Harbor, LLC, 2024 WL 3690779 (D. Md. Aug. 7, 2024)(Simms, J.), an employment discrimination defendant avoided sanctions for overwriting of video footage. Defendant’s information governance policy was to overwrite surveillance video in 14 days unless management reported an| E-Discovery LLC
In Felder v. MGM National Harbor, LLC, 2024 WL 3690779 (D. Md. Aug. 7, 2024)(Simms, J.), defendant was sanctioned for belatedly canceling depositions that were scheduled at the discovery cutoff date. This is the second blog of a four-part blog on Felder, an employment discrimination case. See Fe| E-Discovery LLC
In Felder v. MGM National Harbor, LLC, 2024 WL 3690779, at *1 (D. Md. Aug. 7, 2024)(Simms, J.), plaintiff, acting pro se, sued her employer, alleging discrimination. The Court “presided over a discovery dispute hearing related to Plaintiff's motions to compel interrogatory requests and requests f| E-Discovery LLC
It is not auspicious when a court writes: “The court notes that, from time to time, in contentious cases like this one, courts have ordered that the parties record – by video or court reporter – their Local Rule 37.2 meet-and-confer sessions for the court's review. Given the history of this case, an| E-Discovery LLC
In Melton Properties, LLC v. Ill. Central R. Co., 2024 WL 3015749 at *5 (N.D. Miss. June 14, 2024), the court listed the factors to consider in deciding when the failure to provide a timely privilege log is – or is not – a waiver of the privilege. GENERALLY, FAILURE TO TIMELY PROVIDE A PRIVILEGE| E-Discovery LLC
In Troung v. KPC Healthcare, Inc., 2024 WL 3496865 (C.D. Cal. July 17, 2024), the court held that no privilege log was required until scope of discovery objections were resolved. The general rule is that a privilege log is due at the time discovery responses are filed. “Absent consent of the adve| E-Discovery LLC
In Singleton v. Mazhari, 2024 WL 4644644 (D. Md. Oct. 30, 2024)(Austin, J.), non-party TEDCO’s blanket privilege and work product objections to a subpoena were denied; however, it lived to fight another day because the denial was without prejudice to file supported objections after a “meet and confe| E-Discovery LLC
“The Making of a Surgeon” In 1968, Dr. William A. Nolen wrote “The Making of a Surgeon” (Mid-List Press 1968, 1990): How do you make a surgeon? Not by the preliminaries, the four years of college and four years of medical school that have to be gone through to earn an M.D. degree, but by the five,| E-Discovery LLC
Fed.R.Civ.P. 34 authorizes discovery of “any designated documents or electronically stored information….” That Rule is limited to the scope of discovery set out in Rule 26(b)(“matter that is relevant to any party's claim or defense and proportional ….”); see Md. Rules 2-402 and 2-422. In a prior| E-Discovery LLC
In Doma Title Ins., Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC, 2022 WL 2668530 (D. Md. Jul. 11, 2022)(Quereshi, J.), the Court addressed a motion to compel discovery in a breach of contract action. The Court held that defendant’s discovery objections were too general; however, on the facts presented, including t| E-Discovery LLC
Harrod v. State, 261 Md. App. 499 (2024), addressed introduction of a “composite” video as summary evidence and the use of police officers’ testimony describing it. A prior blog addressed the admissibility of a “composite” video prepared by the prosecution. This second blog will address the use| E-Discovery LLC
Harrod v. State, 261 Md. App. 499 (2024), addressed introduction of a “composite” video as summary evidence and the use of police officers’ testimony describing it. An innocent bystander was fatally shot while she was with her husband on a hotel patio in Annapolis. They had come from Texas to dr| E-Discovery LLC
In Authentication is key to direct and cross-examination (thedailyrecord.com) (Aug. 22, 2024), my friend Paul Sandler wrote: “It can be said that direct and cross-examination are the central features of the trial, and essential to examinations are the exhibits sought to be introduced in evidence.”| E-Discovery LLC
Back in the days of paper-based litigation, it was rare to argue over the definition of a “document.”[1] Usually, it was clear where a letter, memo, or contract began and ended. But, ESI is much different than paper and recent cases bring that issue to the forefront. In Sandoz v. Un. Therapeuti| E-Discovery LLC
I have written a series of blogs on What is a Document? (Part III), What is a Document? (Part II), and What is a “Document?” In those blogs, I pointed to issues that may be presented by, for example, text bubbles, spreadsheet cells, Excel workbooks with multiple worksheets, PDF Portfolios, and Slac| E-Discovery LLC
UPDATE (Aug. 3, 2023): See Doug Austin, Hyperlinked Documents and Email Threading Disputes Addressed by Court (ediscoverytoday.com)(Aug. 2, 2023), discussing In re Meta Pixel Healthcare Litig. (N.D. Cal. June 2, 2023)("Accordingly, the ESI protocol should make clear that hyperlinked documents are n| E-Discovery LLC
Privilege logs have been getting a lot of attention, with good reason. “Privilege logging is arguably the most burdensome and time consuming task a litigant faces during the document production process.” The Sedona Conference, “Commentary on Protection of Privileged ESI,” 17 Sed. Conf. J. 97 (2016)| E-Discovery LLC
In Membreno v. Atlanta Restaurant Partners, LLC, 2021 WL 351174 (D. Md. Feb. 2, 2021), the Court applied the spoliation doctrine in an employment discrimination case. The plaintiff alleged injury due to a hostile work environment and discrimination based on gender identity and sex. The Court wro| E-Discovery LLC
In Canter v. Zeigler, 2022 WL 6754646 (D. Md. Oct. 10, 2022)(Sullivan, J.), a contempt motion was made because the State failed to timely perform its agreement that had been incorporated into a Court order. The lawsuit was filed by an inmate against prison medical and supervisory staff. Plaintiff| E-Discovery LLC
“Hit reports” have various names.[1] One issue that has often arisen is whether a producing party must produce every document on a hit report requested by an opponent, even if irrelevant or nonresponsive to discovery requests. Craig Ball has blogged on this issue since 2013. However, his recent b| E-Discovery LLC
Bloomberg Law reports that a company has allegedly mishandled potentially important emails in a 70,000 person class action. J. Feeley and D. Glovin, “Sanofi Accused of Destroying Emails Tied to Zantac Recall” (Bloomberg May 11, 2021). The potential spoliator's response is instructive. In the pr| E-Discovery LLC
In Advanced Magnesium Alloys Corp. v. Dery, 2022 WL 3139391 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 5, 2022), defendant, Alliance, agreed to search 159 terms. However, when it produced the text messages “hitting” those terms, plaintiff found the texts to be cryptic and asked for more texts to provide context. Alliance sa| E-Discovery LLC
In U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Physician Partners, LLC, 2024 WL 2846007 (M.D. Fla. June 2, 2024), the court held that a categorical privilege log was insufficient, even after an apparent agreement to that logging process. The role of a privilege log is to “trust, but verify.” In other words, “play,| E-Discovery LLC
Many decisions state that the failure to timely provide an adequate privilege log may result in a waiver of the privilege. However, frequently they hold that there is no waiver on the facts presented.[1] In Bautech USA, Inc. v. Resolve Equip., Inc., 2024 WL 1929486 (S.D. Fla. May 2, 2024), untim| E-Discovery LLC
It is axiomatic that privilege logging is one of the most time-consuming and risky aspects of e-discovery. I wrote about itemized and categorical privilege logs in M. Berman, et al., eds., “Managing E-Discovery and ESI: From Pre-Litigation Through Trial” (ABA 2011), Chap. 5. In an itemized log,| E-Discovery LLC
The Sedona Conference has released its “Primer on Crafting eDiscovery Requests with ‘Reasonable Particularity’” (Nov. 2021, Public Comment Version). The Primer is a valuable contribution. It gathers a substantial body of research in an easy-to-read, authoritative resource. It focuses entirely o| E-Discovery LLC
There is a lot of debate over whether an ESI Protocol should be incorporated into a court order; however, the decision may be unimportant as a practical matter. In McCormick & Co., Inc. v. Ryder Integrated Logistics, Inc., 2023 WL 2433902 (D. Md. March 9, 2023), the parties did not incorporat| E-Discovery LLC
In 1968, the movie “Dracula Has Risen from the Grave” was released. Like Dracula, despite being long since buried, boilerplate “general objections” keep popping up in what sometimes looks like the children’s game of “Whac a Mole.” It is difficult to understand why the message about boilerplate “| E-Discovery LLC
In Kyle Rayome v. ABT Electronics, 2024 WL 1435098 (N.D. Ill. 2024), the court wrote that it “would prefer this case not go to the dark place where attorneys on one side demand that the attorneys on the other side provide declarations in which they swear they are telling the truth about complying wi| E-Discovery LLC
Following the lead of the Hon. Paul W. Grimm (ret.), OpEd: Legal Profession Must ‘Speak Out’ Against Unfair Attacks (duke.edu)(Oct. 24, 2023), I wrote that The Judiciary is Under Attack. Lawyers Need to Defend It (Oct. 24, 2023), and Threats Against the Colorado Supreme Court Must Be Called Out (De| E-Discovery LLC
In Maryland, “sunshine” statutes such as the Open Meetings Act, Md. Code Ann., Gen’l. Prov. Art. §3-301, et seq., and the Public Information Act, Md. Code Ann., Gen’l. Prov. Art. §4-101, et seq., further the goal of open and transparent government. In State compliance board rules Cassilly’s offic| E-Discovery LLC
In Rullan v. Goden, 2024 WL 1191600 (D. Md. Mar. 20, 2024), the Hon. J. Mark Coulson construed a Fed.R.Civ.P. 45 motion to quash or modify a subpoena, which would have been heard in New York, as a Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c) motion for protective order that was resolved in the District of Maryland. Rullan| E-Discovery LLC
In Smith v. Wormuth, 2024 WL 1012887 (D. Md. Mar. 8, 2024), the District Court again denied a spoliation motion as untimely. In the immortal words of Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Bera: “It’s deja vu all over again.” Smith was an employment dispute arising out of a contentious relationship, with an| E-Discovery LLC
Can a witness authenticate a video if the video contains images that the witness did not see? In Md. Supreme Court to rule on Baltimore criminal case involving video authentication - Maryland Daily Record (thedailyrecord.com) (Feb. 22, 2024), Rachel Konieczny reported on a novel and important authe| E-Discovery LLC
“ESI Protocols” are discussed in judicial opinions, articles, webinars, and blogs. They are flexible and useful; however, they may not meet all of the requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(f). After a Rule 26(f) conference, that Rule requires a “report” with a “discovery plan” that contains information| E-Discovery LLC
