E-discovery Rules Still Causing IT Headaches

Many IT shops have spent months working to refit corporate systems so they comply with year-old changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, even as some executives say the revisions aren’t clearly defined.

However, some IT executives who complained about the rules did acknowledge that the FRCP modifications have forced them to make positive changes to corporate data-retention policies.

The revisions, which took effect on Dec. 1, 2006, require that opposing sides in a federal lawsuit meet within 99 days of its filing to determine what electronic data must be produced and in what format. Failure to comply could lead to fines or a prison sentence.