On February 18, 2015, IAALS and the National Judicial College co-hosted E-Discovery Sanctions & Spoliation: What a Judge Needs to Know, a webcast available for state court judges at no cost. This session provided a fundamental-level discussion of the rules and case law undergirding e-discovery, discovery sanctions, and spoliation.

The webcast remains available on the NJC’s website, and we encourage judges to take advantage of this free and easily accessible education.

The webcast provided guidance so that judges can:

  • Locate civil rules regulating e-discovery obligations and sanctions
  • Access legal precedent from other jurisdictions regarding e-discovery obligations, sanctions, and spoliation
  • Rule on motions regarding e-discovery, sanctions, and spoliation

The webcast faculty included:

  • Justice Daniel J. Crothers (North Dakota Supreme Court)
  • Maura R. Grossman, Esq. (Of Counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz)
  • Judge Thomas A. Zonay (District Court, Vermont)

IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis provided an introduction.

This is the second in a series of webcasts on e-discovery for state court judges that IAALS and the NJC have cosponsored. In June 2014, IAALS and the NJC co-hosted Fundamentals of E-Discovery for State Court Judges, a free webcast featuring the above faculty that reached more than 80 judges from over 30 states. The webcast focused on providing state court judges with core training on the topic of electronically stored information (ESI). Topics included an explanation of terminology, a discussion of the various stages of electronic discovery, and practical guidance for judges facing ESI issues in their courtrooms, including issues of admissibility and spoliation. The webcast remains available for judges to view on the NJC's website, and we encourage judges to take advantage of this free and easily accessible education.

The video below provides a brief preview of the webcast, in which Maura Grossman talks about the definition and elements of spoliation. Click here to view the full webcast.