Legal Memorandum: Sanctions for Spoliation of Evidence in FL

Issue: Under Florida law, what are the appropriate sanctions for spoliation of evidence?

Courts impose sanctions for failure to preserve evidence.  See, e.g., Metropolitan Dade County v. Bermudez, 648 So. 2d 197 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1st Dist. 1994); Sponco Mfg., Inc. v. Alcover, 656 So. 2d 629 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 3d Dist. 1995), review dismissed, 679 So. 2d 771 (Fla. 1996); Figgie Int’l, Inc. v. Alderman, 698 So. 2d 563 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 3d Dist.), review dismissed, 703 So.2d 476 (Fla. 1997); Continental Ins. Co. v. Herman, 576 So. 2d 313 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 3d Dist. 1990), review denied, 598 So. 2d 76 (Fla. 1991).

What sanctions are appropriate when a party fails to preserve evidence in its custody depends on the willfulness or bad faith, if any, of the party responsible for the loss of the evidence, the extent of prejudice suffered by the other party or parties, and what is required to cure the prejudice.

.  .  .

Intentional destruction of […]

margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt; tab-stops:.5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in 8.5in 9.0in 9.5in 10.0in 10.5in 11.0in 11.5in’>