e-mail as evdience
DESCRIPTION
This is an hour presentation on the law of e-mail given as part of an e-discovery conference.TRANSCRIPT
Email as EvidenceJOHN D. GREGORY
DANIEL J. MICHALUK
February 9, 2010
Email as EvidenceDefinitionsRelevanceAccessProductionAdmissibility and WeightCase studies
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DefinitionsEmail and e-messages1970s
Classic email (SMTP)1980s
Bulletin boards, MUD, voice mail1990s
Web mail, ICQ, computer-generated or –received faxes2000s
IM, Social networks, Twitter, virtual worldsRemix of all of the above – e.g. notice of FB comments &
repliesVOIP (e.g. Skype = voice + image + IM)Multiplication of carriers : e-messages in the cloud
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RelevanceWhy focus on email issues? It’s still the killer app
Everybody uses email and (more or less) understands itCan be particularly potent evidence – Gates, Black,
Poindexter Information in transit: special issues
Multiplicity of repositories JurisdictionCommunications/speech issues with content Impermanence
Paradigm caseRaises many issues in strong ways that appear elsewhereEvolves quickly – the answers keep changing
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AccessStored communications on the corporate e-
mail systemLotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange Server,
GroupwiseBlackberry Enterprise ServerWorkstationsHandheld devices
AccessHard to access stored communications
Un-logged PIN-to-PIN messages (including Blackberry Messenger communications)
Blackberry Internet Service messagesSMS communications
Very hard to access stored communicationsCommunications on employee home computersCommunications on “personal” cloud services
AccessThe law – sources of rights
Employee privacy legislation (federal plus three provinces)
Criminal Code wiretap provision“Common law of the unionized workplace”Constructive dismissal claims by non-union
employees
AccessCases to watch
University of British Columbia – BC Supreme Court
R. v. Cole – Ontario Court of AppealQuon – USSC
AccessPractical options for employers
Do something now!Option #1 – Try harder to control expectations
despite personal use But how far will notice take you?
Option #2 – Give in, and implement privacy controls
Proportional audit/surveillance framework Investigation standards (reasonable suspicion)
ProductionThe problem of volume - retentionRetention policies are key
Email is often on a ‘short’ list for retention At least pressure to move off server, sometimes auto-
delete unless actively saved Limit: reasonably likely to need it in litigation
This can be an e-discovery issue or a trial issue Remington case (1998) – is retention policy reasonable? Broccoli v Echostar (2005) – 21-day retention of emails
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ProductionPrivilege waiver – the internal counsel problemGenerally one does not produce privileged
information.What is privileged, in-house? If you copy counsel on all internal emails, all the
emails do not become privileged. Separate business advice from legal advice
How to sort it out? Air Canada v Westjet, There is no deemed undertaking rule for
evidence led at trial.
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ProductionPrivilege waiver – employee emails on
employer systemsA practical problem for employer counsel among
othersCase law on privilege is different from case law
on investigations, audits and surveillanceLots of U.S. developments, few Canadian casesWhat must you do to shield yourself from a
“poisoned client”?
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Admissibility and WeightProving a digital object is differentVulnerability of information composed of
presence or absence of electric currentWhat happens when the power goes off? When
the system crashes?Malleability of information
Easy to change undetectablyPresentation in the courtroom
Printout vs native format (capacity to present etc)
Mobility multiplies the issues13
Admissibility and WeightThe elements of documentary evidence: dealing with
the differences
Authentication Is this record what it purports to me? Admissibility if foundation laid to support that conclusion The cutting edge of e-evidence including email evidence today
Best evidence rule What is an original electronic document?
Hearsay Does the medium matter? Exceptions wide (reliability) or focused (business records?) It’s not always hearsay (e.g. mechanical evidence)
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Admissibility and WeightThe Uniform Electronic Evidence Act (where
enacted)“Solutions” to electronic application of these rulesAuthentication: codify
Count on the witness under oath (not saying who)Challenge is in responding to challenges (expertise,
availability of foundation evidence)Best evidence: system not document
Presumptions in aid: it matters whose system it isStandards in aid
Hearsay: do nothingPossible spillover effect of other rules
Admissibility, nothing re weight
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Case lawNot much of interest on UEEA
R. v. Bellingham (AB) needed evidence of what printouts were
Leoppky v Meston (AB) – demonstrates several things:Court looks behind computer to actual senderA series of emails can satisfy Statute of FraudsStill had missing link i.e. legal rules still apply
Nat. Business Solutions (ON) – email as course of conduct
Singapore vs England: email headers OK or not OK as evidence capable of supporting Statute of Frauds
Lorraine v Markel (NJ) – extreme demands (all obiter)Prove lots about system, manner of production, etcAdmitted some shortcuts might exist e.g. notice of intent
to use
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An extreme case?“The focus is not on the … creation of the
record, but rather on the … preservation of the record during the time it is in the file”
“The entity’s policies and procedures for the use of the equipment, database and programs are important. How access to the … database [and to the specific program are] controlled is important. How changes in the database are logged, as well as the structure and implementation of backup systems and audit procedures for assuring the continued integrity of the database, are pertinent.”
In re Vee Vinhee, US appeal court, 2005.
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CGSB StandardCanadian General Standards Board: Standard on
electronic records as documentary evidenceThe key rule of the Standard: think about it! In other words:
Make a policy about how e-records are managedCommunicate the policy Implement the policyMonitor compliance with the policyAdjust the policy as required by circumstances
Have a policy manual that you can point to.Have someone responsible (CRO) (+ witness)
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New e-messages: ChallengesWebmail, Facebook/MySpace, TwitterAs you go into the cloud, it is harder to:
Authenticate (go to ISP not ASP)Figure out and prove the ‘system’ whose reliability one
would like to count on (or at least appreciate) No standardization – every application is different (not like
SMTP) Consumer oriented – so less rigorous than business systems Proprietary – so codes etc are not readily available Surrounded by TP apps – Tweetdeck, thousands of FB
suppliers – who, where, what are they?Are clouds third party providers in ordinary course of
business, i.e. should they be considered reliable?
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Admissibility and Weight
Email problem #1 – You didn’t send that
Employee alleges termination on basis of pregnancy
Email pre-dates her pregnancy by two months showing bona fide intent to terminate
Proponent can testify
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Admissibility and WeightEmail problem #2 – I didn’t send that
Agreement to arbitrate executed through employer’s intranet
Execution by entering SSN or employee ID number plus password
Supervisors could reset passwordsSupervisor resets password to help employee get accessEmail confirmation sent to employeeEmployee claims supervisor executed agreement and
denies reading confirmation email
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Email as EvidenceJOHN D. GREGORY
DANIEL J. MICHALUK
February 9, 2010