A recent decision, Williams v. Suttle, 2019 NY Slip Op 00163 (App. Div. 2d Dept. Jan. 9, 2019), illustrates the perils of failing to comply with discovery orders. From the decision: Here, the willful and contumacious character of the plaintiffs’ actions can be inferred from their repeated failures to comply with the defendant’s notices to appear…
Read More Dismissal of Complaint Affirmed Due to Discovery FailuresIn Rosen v. MHM Realty LLC, 2018 NY Slip Op 07549 (App. Div. 1st Div. Nov. 8, 2018), the Appellate Division unanimously affirmed the lower court’s order denying plaintiff’s motion for a protective order and directed plaintiff to give defendants an unlimited authorization (for a specified period) for mental health records for treatment in connection with injuries…
Read More Mental Health Records Must Be Produced in Injury Case, Court HoldsHere is yet another reason why accident victims should refrain from using social media after they are in an accident. In Smith v. Brown, 2018 NY Slip Op 28299 (Sup. Ct. Bx. Cty. Sept. 27, 2018), a personal injury case involving a motor vehicle accident, the court held that plaintiff was required to respond to requests…
Read More Car Accident Plaintiff Must Respond to Requests for Admission Regarding Instagram “Selfies,” Court RulesIn Morales v. PepsiCo. Inc., 16-cv-6597, 2018 WL 3853390 (W.D.N.Y. August 14, 2018), the plaintiff filed a lawsuit against his former employer alleging race discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New York State Human Rights Law. Not uncommonly, a discovery dispute arose. Among other issues contested…
Read More Court Addresses Discovery Relating to Emotional Distress Damages in Title VII Discrimination CaseIn A.L. v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 51033(U) (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. June 21, 2018) (J. Tisch), the court awarded sanctions against the City of New York for its failure to provide discovery. From the decision: Regarding plaintiffs’ motion to strike the defendants’ answer, the Court will not recite the facts but…
Read More Court Awards Sanctions Against City for Discovery FailuresIn Hughes v. Twenty–First Century Fox, Inc., 17-cv-7093, 2018 WL 1936096 (S.D.N.Y. April 24, 2018), a sexual harassment case, the court quashed defendants’ non-party subpoenas. From the decision: This Court need not consider Defendants’ argument that the subpoenaed information will assist them in formulating the defense of absolute truth with respect to Hughes’ defamation claims because…
Read More Court Quashes Non-Party Subpoenas in Sexual Harassment Case [Hughes v. Twenty-First Century Fox]In Milan v. Sprint Corporation, 2018 WL 1665690 (E.D.N.Y. April 6, 2018), a sexual harassment case, the court affirmed a Magistrate Judge’s Order granting plaintiff’s motion to compel discovery. Plaintiff sought, inter alia, “complaints of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and/or retaliation against Sprint, including but not limited to complaints through the ‘Sprint’s Ethics Hotline’ and…
Read More Court Compels Discovery of Sexual Harassment Complaints in Lawsuit Against SprintIn Forman v. Henkin, 2018 NY Slip Op 01015 (N.Y. Ct. App. Feb. 13, 2018), a personal injury case, the New York Court of Appeals provided guidance on how courts should evaluate discovery requests for discovery of information from litigants’ social media accounts. Judge DiFiore wrote: [C]ourts addressing disputes over the scope of social media discovery should…
Read More NY Court of Appeals Outlines Standards for Social Media DiscoveryEvery legal case is different. This is because there essentially is an infinite permutation of facts and circumstances that may give rise to a legal claim. Changing even one (seemingly inconsequential) fact, and you might very well get a different result. That said, lawsuits all have the same basic structure. Here I’ll outline the basic…
Read More The Litigation ProcessIn Spearin v. Linmar, L.P., 129 AD3d 528 (App. Div. 1st Dept. June 16, 2015), a personal injury case, the court addressed an issue that is coming up with increasing frequency: namely, the extent to which a plaintiff’s social media postings must be turned over in discovery. The court reversed a lower court decision that “ordered…
Read More Piano-Playing Plaintiff’s Facebook Posts Ordered for In-Camera Inspection