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TABLEOFCONTENTS

ForOpinionSee2009WL7479352（TrialOrder）,2009WL7479353（TrialOrder）,2009WL7479354（TrialOrder）,2007WL2820015（TrialOrder）,2007WL6853661（TrialOrder）

SuperiorCourtofGeorgia.

FultonCounty

AMANAISAandMohammedAl-Amoudi,Plaintiffs,

v.

CAIRNWOODGROUP,LLC,CairnwoodCapitalManagement,LLC,LaneP.Pendleton,LairdP.Pendleton,KirkP.Pendleton,andThayerB.Pendleton,Defendants.

No.2006-CV-114931.

November8,2007.

Plaintiffs'OppositiontoDefendants'MotionforSanctionofDismissalforSpoliationofEvidenceandOtherDiscoveryViolations

DavidL.Balser,GeorgiaBarNo.035835,GregoryS.Brow,GeorgiaBarNo.086422,AmirR.Farokhi,GeorgiaBarNo.141262.

McKennaLong&AldridgeLLP,303PeachtreeStreet,NE,Suite5300,Atlanta,GA30308,（404）527-4170（telephone）,（404）527-4198（facsimile）,AttorneysforPlaintiffsAmanaISAandMohammedAl-Amoudi.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...1

II.FACTS...5

A.ThisLawsuit...5

B.FreefordLtd.v.ThePendletons...6

C.Ms.O'Rourke'sAugust1,2007DepositioninthePresentCase...6

1.AOLEmailAccounts...7

2.ComputersintheKaramanHome...8

3.DownloadingofEmailsonComputersintheKaramanHome...9

D.Defendants'August3,2007Letter...11

E.Plaintiffs'August15,2007ResponseLetter...13

F.WithoutRespondingtoorAddressingPlaintiffs,'Letter,andIgnoringthisCourt'sInstructionsRegarding,DiscoveryDisputeProcedures,DefendantsFileTheirSpoliationMotion...14

G.Mr.KaramanClarifiesandCorrectsCertainMattersAboutWhichMs.O'RourkeTestified...15

H.Plaintiffs'September26LetterRequestingWithdrawaloftheSpoliationMotion...17

I.DefendantsRefusetoWithdrawTheirMotion...18

J.OtherInaccuraciesandMisrepresentationsinDefendants'“StatementoftheRelevantFacts”...19

1.DefendantsWronglyAccusePlaintiff'sof“FalselyRepresent[ing]ThatNoRelevantEmailsWereLost”...19

2.DefendantsWronglyAccusePlaintiffsofFailingtoProduceAllEmailsfromMr.Karaman'sBridgeportAccount...23

3.DefendantsMisrepresentMs.O'Rourke'sTestimonyRegardingAmana'sInstructionstoPreserveEvidence...24

a.KarimKaraman...24

b.Abdul-KhaliqAl-Amoudi...25

c.FrancoisMeynot...27

4.AmanaMadeaProperSearchforResponsiveDocuments...28

III.ARGUMENTANDCITATIONOFAUTHORITY...30

A.TheMotionShouldBeDeniedBecauseThereIsNoSpoliationSincetheComputerthatWasThoughttoHaveBeenDisposedofActuallyExistsandHasAlreadyBeenSearchedforResponsiveDocuments...30

B.TheMotionWasSubmittedWithoutSubstantialJustificationEveniftheFactsWereasMs.O'RourkeMistakenlyTestified...31

1.LegalStandard...32

2.TheSpoliationMotionLackedSubstantialJustificationBecauseDefendantsHadNoBasistoAllegethatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006ComputerHadRelevantEvidenceonIt,LetAloneEvidenceMaterialtothisAaction...32

a.LegalStandardforSpoliationMotion...32

b.DefendantsHadNoBasistoAllegethatThereWasanyRelevantEvidenceonMrs.Karaman's2004-2006

ComputerthatShouldHaveBeenPreserved...33

c.DefendantsHadNoGoodFaithBasistoAllegethatanyEvidenceonMrs.Karaman's2004-2006ComputerMayHaveBeen“Material,”“Key,”or“Necessary”totheLitigation...34

d.TheCasesCitedbyDefendantsAreinStarkContrasttothePresentCase...36

c.Defendants'ArgumentsRegardingAllegedBadFaithLackedSubstantialJustification...38

3.DefendantsCouldHaveAvoidedtheTimeandExpenseAssociatedwithFilingtheSpoliationMotionbyEngaginginDialogueandbyFollowingtheCourt'sRulesRegardingDiscoveryDisputes...40

IV.ORALARGUMENT...40

V.CONCLUSION...41

TABLEOFAUTHORITIES

Cases

AsbestosLitig.CarterTrialGroup1992WL390617（Del.Super.Ct.1992）...34

Bouve&Mohr,LLCv.Banks274Ga.App.758（2005）...37

Bridgestone/FirestoneN.Am.Tire,LLCv.Campbell258Ga.App.767,768（2002）...2,33,36

CenturyMI.-CableCorp.v.Carrillo43F.Supp.2d176（D.P.R.1998）...38

Chapmanv.AutoOwnersIns.Co.220Ga.App.539,542（1996）...2,33,37

CityofGriffinv.Jackson239Ga.App.374（1999）...37

ComputerAssoc.Int'l,Inc.v.Am.Fundware,Inc.133F.R.D.166,169（D.Colo.1990）...38

Keeferv.ProvidentLifeandAccidentIns.Co.238F.3d937（8thCir.2000）...37

KucalaEnter.,Ltd.v.AutoWaxCo.,Inc.No.02C1403,2003WL21230605,（N.D.III.May27.2003）...37

Leonv.IDXSys.Corp.464F.3d951（9thCir.2006）...37

Nat'lAss'nofRadiationSurvivorsv.Turnage115F.R.D.543（N.D.Cal.1987）...37

R.A.SiegelCo.v.Bowen246Ga.App.177（2000）...37

Ryanv.State1999WL59982（N.D.Ill.1999）...34

Zubulakev.UBSWarburgLLC220F.R.D.212,218（S.D.N.Y.2003）...28

Statutes

O.C.G.A.§9-11-30...17

O.C.G.A.§9-11-34...39

O.C.G.A.§9-15-14...1,32

PlaintiffsAmanaISA（“Amana”）andMohammedAl-AmoudirespectfullysubmitthefollowingOppositiontoDefendants'MotionforSanctionofDismissalforSpoliationofEvidenceandOtherDiscoveryViolations（“SpoliationMotion”）.

I.INTRODUCTION

Defendants'SpoliationMotionshouldbedeniedasmoot.TheSpoliationMotionisbasedonthedepositiontestimonyofAmana'sRule30（b）（6）documentcustodianwitness,Ms.LouiseO'Rourke,regardingthepersonalcomputerofthewifeofKarimKaraman,themanagingdirectorofAmana.DuringtheRule30（b）（6）deposition,Ms.O'RourkemistakenlysaidthatKarimKaraman'swile'spersonalcomputer（“Mrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computer”）wasdisposedofalterthislawsuitwascommenced.AfterDefendants'filedtheSpoliationMotion,Plaintiffs'attorneyslearnedthatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerwasnot.infact,thrownaway.Mr.Karaman'sfamilystillhasthecomputerinquestion,andAmanahadsearcheditforresponsivedocumentsmonthsago.Inshort,thereisnospoliationofevidence,andtheSpoliationMotionshouldbedeniedasmoot.

AfterlearningthatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerstillexists,Plaintiffs'attorneysinformedDefendantsofitsexistence,offeredtoallowDefendantstosearchthecomputerforresponsivedocuments,andrequestedthatDefendantswithdrawtheirSpoliationMotion.DefendantsrejectedPlaintiffs'offerandmadenumerousunreasonabledemandsasquidproquoforwithdrawingtheirmotion.AlthoughPlaintiffsbentoverbackwardstoaccommodateasmanyofDefendants'requestsaspossibletoavoidburdeningtheCourtwithDefendants'nowfrivolousmotion,DefendantsrefusedtoacceptPlaintiffs'accommodationsandultimatelyrefusedtowithdrawtheSpoliationMotion.Accordingly,PlaintiffsmovetheCourtpursuanttoO.C.G.A.§9-15-14toawardPlaintiffstheirattorneys'feesindefendingthisSpoliationMotion.AsidefrombeingindisputablyfrivolousnowthatitisknownthatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerwasnotdisposedof,theSpoliationMotionwassubmittedwithoutsubstantialjustificationeveniftherecently-learnedfactshadnotcometolight.

TodemonstratethattheSpoliationMotionwassubmittedwithoutsubstantialjustification,Plaintiffswillhereinreviewtheevidenceasitwasunderstoodtobeatthetimethatthemotionwasfiled--i.e.,beforeitwasdiscoveredthatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerwasnotdisposedof.Toprovespoliation,themovingpartymustdemonstratethatrelevantevidencewasdestroyedatatimewhenthenon-movingpartywasduty-boundtopreserveitandthattheevidencewas“material,”“key,”or“necessary”tothelitigation.Bridgestone/FirestoneN.Am.Tire,LLCv.Campbell,258Ga.App.767,768（2002）;Chapmanv.AutoOwnersIns.Co.,220Ga.App.539,542（1996）.

InordertoshowthattherewasrelevantevidenceonMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computer--keepinginmindthatMrs.KaramanhasnothingtodowithAmanaorthislawsuit--DefendantswouldfirstneedtoshowthatMr.Karamandownloadedbusiness-relatedemailsontotheharddriveofhiswife'scomputerorotherwisestoredbusiness-relateddataonthecomputer.Therewas,however,noprobativeevidencetosupportthispoint.Defendants'imprecisedepositionquestionselicitedunclearresponsesfromMs.O'RourkeontheissueofMr.Karaman'spracticeregardingdownloadingofemails,particularlyastothetimeperiodandcomputertowhichshemayhavebeenreferring,leavingnowaytoreadhertestimonyasprobativeofthepointthatemailsweredownloadedontoMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computer.（AmanaRule30（b）（6）DepositionofLouiseO'Rourke（“O'RourkeDepo.”）,pp.33-34.41-51）.

Defendantswouldnextneedtoshowthattherewas“material,”“key,”or“necessary”evidenceonMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computer.Inthisregard,Defendantsinexplicablystatethat“itisundisputed”thatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006ComputercontainedemailsrelevanttoDefendants'statuteoflimitationsdefense.Nothingcouldhefurtherfromthetruth.Theonlyemailsthatcouldpossiblyberelevanttothisdefensemustnecessarilypre-dateApril3,2002（fouryearsbeforethissuitwasfiled）,andtherewassimplynoprobativeevidencethatMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerexistedorwasbeingusedatthattime.Indeed,Mrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerwaspurchasedbrandnewin2004.（KaramanAff.¶10）.Ms.O'RourkesaidshedidnotknowpreciselywhenMrs.Karaman's2004-2006Computerwasacquired,andafairreadingofhertestimony--totheextentthatitprovesanything--indicatesthatitmusthavebeenacquiredafter2002（O'RourkeDepo.,pp.46-49）--whichrendersDefendants'statementplainlyincorrect.（Id.atpp.48,50）EverythingelseinDefendants'BriefaddressestheissueofPlaintiffs'allegedbadfaithandisthereforeimmaterialforpurposesofthisCourt'sconsiderationoftheSpoliationMotion.

Forexample,Defendants