A new technology-assisted review (TAR) case—Livingston v. City of Chicago—provides instructive guidance on any number of key issues surrounding the use of TAR. From affirming the notion of Sedona Principle Six and approving the use of search terms to pre-cull a data set to emphasizing the importance of not holding TAR to a higher standard than other search and review methods, Livingston provides additional clarity on issues sometimes clouded by conflicting TAR case law.

With so many lawyers focused on COVID-19, it would be easy to overlook the significant case law developments on electronic discovery that have transpired so far in 2020. Courts have issued any number of instructive orders on eDiscovery issues ranging from metadata production and technology-assisted review to cost shifting and sanctions. Three particularly compelling topics addressed by recent cases include: (1) native productions of Excel spreadsheets without relevance redactions; (2) an ESI sanctions order that rejects judicial reliance on inherent authority in favor of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 37(e); and (3) the impropriety of Federal Rule of Evidence (FRE) 502(d) non-waiver orders that result in the compelled production of privileged information.