Preclusion Proper Remedy for Discarding of Computer Containing Crucial Evidence​

The First Department affirmed Supreme Court’s precluding plaintiff from offering any evidence and/or testimony at trial in opposition to defendants’ defenses and counterclaims stemming from plaintiff’s discarding a computer containing crucial evidence:

Plaintiff’s conduct evinces a higher degree of culpability than mere negligence…. Indeed, the record shows that, despite numerous court orders and the court’s assignment of a special referee to supervise discovery, plaintiff delayed discovery and did not disclose to defendants that it had discarded the subject computer for almost two years, notwithstanding that such disclosure was specifically requested by defendants. Further, the testimony of plaintiff’s bookkeeper that a litigation hold, either written or oral, was never issued directing him to preserve electronic data, supports a finding that plaintiff’s disposal of the subject computer was, at the very least, grossly negligent ….  Defendants established that plaintiff’s spoliation of critical evidence compromised defendants’ ability to prosecute their counterclaims … . Accordingly, the court did not abuse its discretion in determining that preclusion was an appropriate spoliation sanction. Harry Wiess, Inc v Moskowitz, 2013 NY Slip Op 03927, 1st Dept, 5-30-13