The Ethics of Acquiring Documents Before Litigation

Preview:

DESCRIPTION

Presentation at 2013 Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund conference

Citation preview

The Ethics of Acquiring Documents

Before Litigation

Kathleen ClarkWashington University in St Louis

kathleen_clark@mac.com

TAF Conference2013

Intersectionof

Legal Ethics&

Law of Whistleblowing

Documents:Purloined?Privileged?

Areconfidentiality

agreementsenforceable?

US ex rel Grandeau v

Cancer Treatment Centers of America

N.D. Ill. 2004

confidentiality agreement cannot trump

the FCA’s strong policy of protecting whistleblowers who report fraud against the

government

US ex rel Head v

Kane CoD.D.C. 2009

SEC Dodd-Frank

Whistleblower regulation

Can’t impede individual from

communicating with SEC by enforcing a

confidentiality agreement

US ex rel Cafasso v

General Dynamics 9th Cir 2011

wholesale copying of

files admittedly containing

confidential, proprietary &trade secret information

Whatcan

whistleblowerlawyers

do?

Tell client:“Don’t provide

privilegeddocuments”

Delegate to clientprivilegereview

Lawyerherself

reviews

Other lawyer

in firm

reviews

Paralegalin

firmreviews

LPOreviews

Predictive Coding

Ad hoc

After review:segregate

& return

privileged documents

5 casesLawyer As Relator

US ex rel Doe v X Corp ED VA 1994

Vermont Agency Natl Res v US ex rel Stevens SCt 2000

Bury v Community Hospital Ca5thApp 2002

US ex rel Repko v Guthrie Clinic MD PA 2008, 2011

US ex rel Fair Laboratory Practice Assoc v Quest 2nd Cir 2013

US ex rel Doe v X Corp ED VA 1994

Vermont Agency Natl Res v US ex rel Stevens Attorneys

“should be encouraged” to use qui tam law suits

to expose fraudMD PA 2008, 2011

US ex rel Fair Laboratory Practice Assoc v Quest

SDNY 2011

$ confidentiality incentives > based on

contract

$ ? confidentiality incentives > based on

professional rules

$ confidentiality incentives < based on

professional rules

US ex rel Fair Laboratory Practice

Associates v

Quest 2nd Cir

October 25, 2013

The Ethics of Acquiring Documents

Before Litigation

Kathleen ClarkWashington University in St Louis

kathleen_clark@mac.com

TAF Conference2013

Recommended