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and.ensuring.that.any.new.data.are.preserved.and.all.data.are.
kept.until.no.longer.needed.
This.type.of.system.and.policy.will.go.a.long.way.in.com-
plying.with.what.the.courts.and.auditors.expect.of.you.and.
your.organization..It.will.be.of.value.to.you.to.create.such.a.
system.and.put.it.to.use.when.appropriate.
6.7 SPOLIATION—THE LOSS
OF RELEVANT DATA
We.discussed.spoliation.in.Chapter.1.when.we.looked.at.the.
rules. of. civil. procedure. and. other. rules. that. apply. to. litiga-
tion..An.example.of.spoliation.is.best.shown.in.
West.v..The.
Goodyear.Tire.and.Rubber.Company
.in.1999,.which.found.
that.spoliation.is.“the.destruction.or.signiicant.alteration.of.
evidence,.or.the.failure.to.preserve.property.for.another's.use.
as.evidence.in.pending.or.reasonably.foreseeable.litigation”.
(Figure 6.6).
*
As.we.consider.this.in.light.of.the.subject.of.this.chapter,.
keeping.our.data.safe.and.preserving.its.integrity,.it.should.be.
obvious.that.the.procedures.and.policies.we.discussed.earlier.
are.the.most.important.ways.that.you.as.an.individual.or.an.
organization.can.avoid.spoliation.of.relevant.evidence.
Spoliation.sanctions.can.be.administered.in.cases.whether.
or.not.the.loss.of.data.was.inadvertent..If.you.have.good.data.
retention.policies.and.practices.in.place.and.can.prove.to.a.
court.or.jury.that.you.have.followed.those.policies,.it.will.go.
a.long.way.toward.limiting.your.liability.for.lost.relevant.elec-
tronic.evidence.
On.the.other.hand,.if.you.have.not.put.those.policies.and.
procedures. in. place. or. have. failed. to. practice. them. consis-
tently,. the. courts. are. much. more. likely. to. administer. more.
severe.sanctions.for.the.spoliation.of.evidence.
*.
West.v..The.Goodyear.Tire.&.Rubber.Co.
,.167.F.3d.776,.779.(2d.Cir..1999).
(citing.
Black's.Law.Dictionary
.1401.(6th.ed..1990)),.http://www.gwblawirm.
com/ap-spoliation-a-trap-for-the-unwary.php..Retrieved.2012-03-18.
