6 Months of Case Law Under the New FRCP

Six months have passed since the December 1, 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) took effect. What has been the impact of the new rules on civil litigation and discovery?

In particular, Rule 26(b)(1) and Rule 37(e) have attracted a sizeable amount of jurisprudence, as both courts and parties grapple with the applications of these new rules. To aid today’s practitioner, Kroll Ontrack analyzed the most significant judicial opinions of the last six months relating to Rule 26(b)(1) and Rule 37(e).

How have the amendments impacted discovery? Download the FRCP case law digest.

Proportionality Reigns Supreme

In the first six months since the 2015 amendment to Rule 26(b)(1), courts have struggled with the removal of the “reasonably calculated” language, and the additional emphasis on proportionality. Pioneering lawsuits have fleshed out the most pressing questions such as what factors matter the most when arguing proportionality? In what way should a party object to discovery under the new rules? Looking at the totality of the case law, one new theme has emerged—there is no substitute for specificity. Both parties are required to state with specificity why they are requesting or objecting to discovery.

Safe Harbors for “Reasonable Steps”

In the past, organizations have been pressured to preserve massive amounts of ESI at tremendous expense. The 2015 amendments have attempted to require only “reasonable steps” be taken to preserve the information. But is it actually advancing adequate data preservation causes? What constitutes “reasonable steps” under the new FRCP amendments? If evidence was preserved and then lost, what level of intent is needed before a court will impose sanctions?

Each of these questions are addressed in Kroll Ontrack’s case summary digest, with the most relevant case law opinions highlighting the expectations from the courts in the first six months since the 2015 FRCP amendments. Download a copy of the FRCP case law digest by Kroll Ontrack, which not only summarizes key findings but also contains a circuit-by-circuit list of judicial opinions referencing FRCP amendments to Rule 26(b)(1) and Rule 37(e).

Still catching up on the 2015 amendments? Download a copy of Kroll Ontrack’s 2015 FRCP Amendments guidebook, which contains each of the December 1, 2015 amendments and full text of the Advisory Committee notes.