Case Law Alert: Welcome to the “Inner Circle of Judicial Hell”
E-Discovery sanctions always draw attention, but in DR Distribs., LLC v. 21 Century Smoking, Inc., the e-discovery mistakes were so profound, and compounded over so much time, that the presiding judge issued seven-figure sanctions against both the defendant and its former counsel. Overview Beginning a decade ago in 2012, this case stems from a trademark infringement suit between two electronic cigarette companies. Plaintiff, who held a trademark for the term “21st Century Smoke,” accused the defendant “21 Century Smoking” of violations of the Lanham Act. At the time of the sanctions... Read More